Betrayal
by Carreercrim331
Summary: "If they Don't Want Me, I don't need them!" Robin leaves the Shepards after Lucina's attempt on his life.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So I recently replayed FE: A and got to chapter 21 and it got me thinking, why do the Shepherds just accept the avatar after he (or she, let's not discriminate) is controlled. So I decided to write this. This is my first attempt at a multiple chapter story, so please be respectful. **

Robin felt that must have the worst luck in the world. First he loses his memories, which wasn't so bad after he got used to it, but then he finds out that his father is a zealot worshiping a god of destruction that wants nothing more than to bring said god into the world. That took considerably longer to adjust to, but his duties as tactician eventually required him to move on and not dwell on it anymore. Now, however, he learns that his father can control him to do his bidding and apparently made him kill his best friend in the future.

While Chrom continued to express support for him, he might as well be a demon from the way the others reacted to him. Lucina had flat out attempted to murder Robin after the events in Plegia. While hurtful, he understood her intentions. She had to protect her father, but trying to murder him for something he hadn't done or even considered doing was a bit much. Chrom had defused the situation before it escalated further but that didn't solve the problem.

Every other member of the Shepherds now hated him with a passion. He had overheard several of them making plans for when he betrayed them. What hurt most was that it was never 'if' he betrayed them, always 'when'. He tried not to let it get to him and focus on his work, but even that was difficult now.

Frederick now watched him every time he made a plan and demanded a full explanation of every decision made, searching for the sign of betrayal that would get the Shepard's killed, but he never found it. All the plans were made to protect everyone and no one died in the field. This didn't change anything, however. Frederick would be back the next day for the same routine.

Robin had accepted this at first. They had every right to be wary of him now. He just needed to prove he was still worthy of their trust and they would come around. However, it had been several weeks now and nothing had changed, Robin was starting to get angry.

'_I led them to victory over Gangrel and then Walhart, I risked my life to protect them on the battlefield dozens of times and this is the thanks I get!? Fine. They don't want me, and I don't need them!'_ He thought as he lay on his cot.

"Robin? Can I come in?" called a familiar voice from outside his tent. Robin was surprised, as the only person who would speak to him now was Chrom, but it was not his voice that had called.

"Come in." he replied with a sigh. He was surprised once again when Sumia entered the tent. She was one of the last people he would expect to pay him a visit. "Why are you here?" Robin asked, fully expecting the answer to be 'To kill you.'

"I thought you could use someone to talk to. I see how hard everyone is on you now." Sumia responded gently as she sat on the edge of his cot.

"Well I don't. I don't have a problem, its everyone else that has a problem with me." He responded. He wanted to sound angry but he never could with Sumia.

"I know." She said while lowering her gaze. In truth, it broke her heart to see how everything was turning out. She felt her eyes begin to water as she got up. "I should go."

Robin smiled for the first time in days. "Yeah. If anyone noticed you come in here they will probably accuse me of murdering you." He said half-jokingly.

Sumia didn't say another word as she left the tent.

The Next Day

Chrom was troubled as he made his way to Robin's tent. He saw the change in everyone's behaviour towards his friend and understood it, but could not agree with them. He knew that Robin would never intentionally hurt them, but almost no one else would agree with him. Several people had even tried to convince him to have Robin executed. Chrom had been shocked and outraged at the notion and the group didn't approach him again, but he could still feel the tension building. The only people who seemed be on Robin's side were himself, Lissa, Sumia, Tharja and Tiki. Chrom was almost at his wits end trying to convince everyone of Robin's intentions. He decided to visit his friend and hopefully cheer him up.

He called into Robin's tent several times before growing concerned and entering anyway. He found that while the larger belongings, such as cot and desk were still there, his cloak and pack, as well as his sword and tome, were missing. Laying on his desk was a not with his name on it. Chrom picked it up and examined it's contents. It was short, but it made Chrom's heart almost stop.

_Chrom_

_I know that you will not approve of this, but I am past the point of caring. I am leaving camp before someone decides to take their hatred of me to its logical conclusion and slit my throat in the night. I know you do not agree with them. I know you still express support in me and for that, I thank you. But I have to leave, for my own good. Good luck Captain. And give Validar a one way trip to hell for me._

_Your friend, Robin_

Chrom bolted out of the tent and up the hill in the center of camp. It was tall enough to give him a view for kilometers in every direction, but nowhere did he see the dark figure of his friend as he walked away.

"Damn it! He's nowhere in sight." Chrom cursed under his breath before an armoured hand settled on his shoulder. He turned to find Frederick behind him, a concerned look on his face.

"Milord, what's wrong?" he asked.

"It's Robin! He's gone!" Chrom told him before running into the center of camp and calling the Shepards into the area. Sumia was away from the group, near the forest at the edge of camp. She could guise why Chrom was calling the group together, but she hoped she was wrong.

"Shepards. I have dire news." Chrom began when everyone was assembled. "Robin is missing and he must be found before he decides to do something foolish. I need volunteers for a search party."

Chrom waited for the usual uproar of volunteers that followed whenever he needed them. However this time, only Lissa, Tharja and Tiki stepped forward with their hands raised.

Sumia was shocked where she stood, shaking with a hurt rage. How could these people be so heartless? She was about to raise her own hand when she heard a sigh from the forest beside her. Looking carefully, she could make out a figure in a dark cloak walking away. Curious, she decided to follow.

Chrom was looking at the army, HIS army, in disbelief. The group that had followed Robin's orders as he led them to victory against impossible odds not once, but twice, was now refusing to so much as look for him. He shook his head and dismissed them, sighing angrily.

Sunia had been putting her Pegasus in the stables when Chrom called the meeting, so she had decided to keep it with her. With its speed, she caught up to the figure rather quickly. It was, of course, Robin.

"Sumia." He greeted, not bothering to turn around when she caught up and dismounted.

"Robin, what are you doing? We thought you were gone!" She asked as she walked closer.

"I was giving the Shepherds one last chance." Robin told her, his voice full of hurt.

"A chance?" She asked.

"Almost no one was concerned that I left, Sumia." He replied. Sumia could see tears beginning to form in his eyes. "I was basing my decision on their reactions. If they don't want me, I don't need them!" his voice was full of anger and hurt. "Good bye. I intend to put them behind me and walk away. I wish you luck in this war and I hope everyone finds happiness." He then began to walk away again.

Sumia watched him walk away, before turning to look at the camp again. The camp full of people who just moments ago had decided to leave Robin to die for no better reason then things he hadn't even done. Sumia had been their when Lucina had told everyone about how her future was destroyed. She had been trying to convince her father that Robin's death was necessary for peace. That memory made her decision for her. She mounted her Pegasus and flew to Robin's side.

"I'm coming with you."


	2. Chapter 2

**Ok. I know it's been a while since I updated. But in my defence….oh screw it I got nothing. Here's chapter 2.**

Chrom was hunched over the map in the command tent after the first strategy meeting following Robin's disappearance. Frederick had taken it upon himself to come up with a winning plan, but it had not gone well. Chrom was constantly finding holes in the strategy that could easily be exploited. It had taken most of the day to come up with an acceptable plan, but Chrom knew he was far from an acceptable judge of a strategy for the campaign and that there were probably many mistakes that he could not detect. He was so absorbed with his train of thought that he didn't hear the tent flap open or the footsteps till they were right behind him.

"C-Chrom?" asked a shy voice from behind him.

Chrom sighed before turning to face his wife. "Olivia." He replied.

"I know why you're hiding in here. Lucina told me about Robin." She stepped forward and put a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to cheer him up.

Chrom sighed again and sat down on a bench against the wall of the tent, Olivia taking the seat next to him. They just sat there in silence, neither having anything to say. Eventually, Chrom felt the need to change the subject. "How was your trip to the market?"

"Fine. There were many useful supplies that we needed. Stahl and Nowi are unloading it right now." She responded. "They should also know that Robin left by now." She stared at the floor, feeling helpless to help her husband.

Chrom fell silent for a few moments before taking a deep breath and standing up. "Robin wouldn't want us to act like this. He would want us to finish our mission. We need to get the emblem back." He tried to sound confident but it came out rather hollowly. Olivia didn't seem to mind and smiled now that he was almost back to normal as he walked out of the tent.

Chrom was almost back to his own tent when Cordelia suddenly came sprinting up to him talking so quickly that he couldn't make out any of the words she was saying.

"Slow down Cordelia!" Chrom ordered, grabbing her shoulders. "What's wrong?"

Cordelia took a few breaths and stated in a very worried voice "Sumia's gone!" 

Near the Far Fort

The young man was currently in the process of running for his life. He had managed to escape from the bandits but was spotted when he tried to run to get help from Southtown.

He ran as fast as his legs could carry him, but he was just a villager, not war horse. He eventually began to get tired, but the knowledge that stopping would earn him an axe to the back of the head was good incentive to keep running.

Eventually however, his endurance gave out and he had to stop, gasping for breath as the bandits that had been chasing him began to close in.

"Ah, finally caught you, ya brat!" said the apparent leader of the group as his underlings surrounded the villager. The barbarian took a few threatening steps forward before pulling lifting his iron axe over his head, laughing darkly.

The villager was closed his eyes, ready for the pain to begin.

It never did.

Instead, he felt a powerful gust of wind surge around him before a strong grip pulled him onto what felt like horse going impossibly fast. He opened his eyes to find his view filled with the back of a woman with silver hair as she pulled on the reins of her Pegasus coming to land about three hundred meters from the bandits. The woman gently got off the Pegasus before helping him down as well.

"Are you alright?" she asked with a concerned look on her face.

The villager nodded in reply before he heard something in the air, like metal clashing against metal, followed by screams of pain. The woman remounted her Pegasus and few back in the direction they had just come from, the villager following on foot.

Eventually the villager found the source of the noise. The bandits that had been chasing him were locked in combat with someone he did not recognize, a man wearing a dark cloak with the hood pulled over his head. He watched, mesmerized as the newcomer cut down one bandit with his silver sword, before spinning on the spot and bathing several of them in a stream of fire as he held a tome open with his other hand. The final bandit tried to run away but the woman from earlier dove in from above and drove her spear through his chest. The man put away his tome and sheathed his sword before turning to look at him.

The villager stepped forward, feeling very intimidated by the man in front of him. The man noticed this and pulled down his hood, revealing a mop of dark red hair and eyes as black as a starless night sky. The man smiled in an attempt to appear less threatening. "It's alright. We're not going to hurt you. What's your name?"

The villager relaxed slightly. "My names Donny, uh Donnel, sir. Thank you so much, you saved my hide!" Donnel introduced himself, his accent making him slightly harder to understand.

"I'm Robin, and my companion with the Pegasus is Sumia. I'm just glad you're not hurt. Bandits are vicious." Robin replied.

Donnel smiled at his before he remembered why he was running in the first place. "Them no good bandits captured my village!" he told his new friends. "They took everyone into the fort over there!" He pointed towards a large structure to the west. "You got to help them! Please. My ma is one of them!" He began to panic again.

"Of course we will." Robin replied. Donnel noticed that his voice had changed. It now seemed slightly colder and more calculating. He looked Donnel from top to bottom several times. "Can you fight?

Donnel was supprised at the question. "N-no sir. I can't. I wish I could but I don't know how." He replied, staring at the ground.

"Then you need to fight and learn how."

Donnel's head shot up to look Robin in the eye. "W-what?"

Robin walked over to Sumia's Pegasus, pulled one of her spare bronze lances out of its holder and held it out to Donnel. "Fight and grow stronger. It's the only way you can."

Donnel considered for few moments before taking the lance and looking Robin in the eye. "You're right. These are my people and I have to help them!"

Robin nodded and began walking towards the fort, Sumia and Donnel right behind him.

The battle that followed was rather short. The bandits were numerous but were very unskilled in combat. Even Donnel was able to defeat a few of them after they had be injured by Robin's magic. In only a few short hours, the townspeople were free and able to return to their homes.

Robin and Sumia helped them gather their belongings and guarded them on their way back to the village. The villagers insisted they stay the night, so they spent the night in the inn.

Sumia had just taken a relaxing bath and changed into a set of bed clothes and was on her way to the room that she had been given when she passed by Robin's room. The door was open allowing her to that Robin was sitting at the table, looking over a map. Curious, she knocked on the door to get his attention.

Robin looked up and met her gaze. "Yes, Sumia?"

"What are you looking for?" she asked.

"I don't know." He replied with a sigh. "All my memories are of my time with the Shepherds and now I don't know what to do."

Sumia gave a small smile "There's a few words I never thought you would say."

This made Robin smile a little, however, this was swiftly followed by a frown as a question that had been bothering him from the moment they left popped into his head.

"Why did you come with me?" he asked.

Sumia was not surprised, knowing that his question would come eventually. "Robin" she said as she entered the room and sat down next to him "I came with you because I know what a wonderful person you are. You sacrificed so much for the Shepherds and they just decide to abandon you for something that you didn't even do. I am disappointed in myself for giving many of them so much respect." She felt her eyes begin to tear at the end of her statement. She tried to stop but she couldn't, soon having tears running down her face.

She then felt two strong arms curl around her and embrace her tightly. "Thank you, Sumia. I couldn't ask for a better friend."

They stayed like that for several seconds before Sumia broke the embrace, her face a bright red. "O-ok then. I guess I'll see you in the morning." She quickly left the room.

The next morning

Robin and Sumia met in the main hall of the inn and enjoyed a lovely breakfast before discussing what they should do next. Eventually they came to the conclusion that there was nothing that they needed to actually do. They could just travel where they wanted and help people was they went. They both agreed that, in the current situation, this was the best option.

Later that day, Robin and Sumia were packed and back on the road after a thankful farewell from the people of the village. Robin was surprised when he didn't see Donnel's face among the people that were seeing them off. Thinking better of asking about him, he and Sumia began the trip north.

"WAIT!" called a thickly accented voice from behind them after they were a distance away. Robin and Sumia turned to see Donnel running up the road towards them, a pack on his back and the borrowed lance still in his hand. Robin was confused and waited for the young villager to catch up.

"Donny, what are you doing here?" he asked, although he had a pretty good idea.

"Please sir, let me come with you! I need to get stronger to protect my home, but I can't do that here. Please let me come with you." Donnel replied with a hopeful look in his eyes.

Sumia turned to Robin and could tell by the look on his face that he was conflicted with his answer.

"Donnel" he began "we are going to some dangerous places. We could very well be killed tomorrow in another bandit raid. Do you really want to put yourself though that?"

Robin watched Donnel's face as he thought about this question, his eyes and face showing no emotion.

Donnel thought hard for several moments before looking Robin straight in the eye and answering with certainty "Yes. I need to do this. I need to grow stronger and going with you is the best way I can do that!"

Robin was still for a few moments before a smile broke out on his face and he half turned down the road again. "So what are we waiting for? Let's go."

Sumia smiled at this as she mounted her Pegasus and the group of three began their journey.


	3. Chapter 3

It was nightfall on the Northroad and the group had made camp for the night. Sumia was brushing her Pegasus and watching Donnel practice with his lance. She had contemplated asking for it back, but concluded that he needed it more than her. She tried not to laugh when he tied to jab a tree, but stepped too far and tripped over his own feet, landing on his rear. Robin was watching this as well as he looked up from his book, but had a frown on his face as he took in Donnel's form and build. He was too short for the lance, the point was a good foot above his head, but the way he wielded it was perfect for….

Robin walked into his tent and retrieved one of the bronze swords they he had bought in Southtown before approaching Donnel.

"Try this." He said, offering it to the villager hilt first.

Donnel was surprised, but decided that it couldn't hurt to try it. He handed Robin the lance and took the sword, holding the hilt loosely at first, but tightening his grip as Robin gave him instructions about how to hold and swing it. Finally, Donnel stepped up to the tree and delivered a powerful slash across the trunk, leaving a clean cut.

Robin stepped away, leaving the new swordsman to practice, but Sumia didn't miss the smile he was trying to hide as he put the lance with the others.

The Next Morning

Robin had woken up early as his body was conditioned to, with his duties demanding an early start. He cooked some eggs for himself and his friends as they slowly awakened. They enjoyed a peaceful breakfast before packing up their tents and heading north again. Their first goal was to reach Regna Ferox before they decided on a new destination. Donnel took the opportunity to question Robin and Sumia about their pasts and was shocked when he learned they used to be Shepherds. The three of them were enjoying the talk, Robin taking extra care to keep Donnel's questions away from why they had left. Eventually, the three came to the last village before the Longfort.

"Seems quite enough, and there's not much chance of us being recognized here. We can rest here the night and be back on the road by morning." Robin stated as he turned to his companions.

"T-t-that's great. I-I h-hope it's warmer inside." Donnel shivered, unused to the cold weather in the north.

Sumia laughed to herself. Conditioned soldiers like Robin and herself were used to the change in weather and were mostly unaffected, but Donnel still had some time before his body adapted to his new lifestyle.

The group made their way towards the town, but were startled when they heard the familiar sound of metal clashing against metal as well as screams of pain from an unknown source. Robin drew his sword, as did Donnel and Sumia drew one of her spears from their holder on her saddle. Moving into the square however, they saw a rather unusual sight.

Bodies were laying everywhere, but none of them looked to be villagers. Judging from their large muscles, unwashed cloths and the chipped axes that lay near so many of them, they were bandits. They were sporting a variety of wounds, from stabs to arrows. Some even had burn marks from what appeared to be a magical impact of some kind.

Robin was growing even more confused when he turned a corner and found the source of the noise.

A large group of bandits had apparently though it would be easy to raid this town and take what they wanted, but they were proven wrong by a pair of figures that appeared to be decimating them.

One was a man, wearing a strange outfit with a mask hanging on one shoulder. He had black hair and appeared to be in his early twenties as he wielded a sword in one hand and an axe in the other. As he fought the bandits, he seemed to radiate a dark aura of unknown origin.

The other was a woman, wearing what appeared to be a wedding dress. She held a silver lance, ever so gently in her hand as she drove it through yet another bandit's heart, amazingly not getting a drop of blood on her. Her hair was a similar colour to the man's, and the two of them were apparently responsible for the deaths of all the bandits they had passed.

Robin watched as the man threw his weapons into the air, before pulling out a tome and delivering the killing strike to the group's leader with an explosion of wind, sending the corpse smashing against the wall before putting the Rexcalibur tome away and catching his weapons as they came down. The two fighters then sheathed their weapons and the man let out a deep breath.

"Well, that was fun." The man said, his accent reminiscent of Regna Ferox. He then turned and noticed Robin and his group.

Robin and the man studied each other for a moment before the man walked over and said "You three are a little late if you wanted to fight bandits."

Robin relaxed slightly and sheathed his sword. "Well, we didn't know there were bandits here."

The man let out a laugh before extending a hand "Oh, I like you. The names Alex. That one over there is my sister, Ruby. Can I ask your names?"

"I'm Robin, and this is Sumia and Donnel." Robin replied, beginning to grin and taking Alex's hand, giving it a firm shake.

Alex seemed to be think deeply for a moment. "Robin…..as in the tactician of the Shepherds, Robin?"

Robin flinched visibly before replying "Yes I was. It didn't work out so I was pretty much expelled."

Alex nodded as Ruby walked up and joined the conversation. "So what are you doing now?"

Robin looked the siblings in the eye before speaking with conviction "My group and I are going to travel and protect the land from Plegia's madness. It doesn't matter if the Shepherds don't want me, I can help people my own way."

Alex and Ruby were silent for a moment before a grin broke out on Alex's face and he let out another loud laugh as he threw his head back. "I was right. I do like you. So, you and these two are planning on helping people."

Robin nodded.

"Help that could involve dealing with large numbers of powerful enemies?"

Robin nodded again.

"Just the three of you?"

Robin nodded, however this time, he felt a little dishonest. He knew that he, Sumia and Donnel wouldn't last against the stronger enemies alone.

Alex saw this and smiled again. "So I see you've thought it through now. You need more fighters. And it just so happens, that there is a pair of highly trained mercs in this town right now."

Robin looked into Alex's eyes, confused "What?"

Ruby sighed "What my brother is trying to say is that we want to come with you. Helping people is our business and joining you would make it much easier."

Robin was surprised at this change in developments. "I…uh..just a moment please." He turned and walked a short distance, dragging Sumia and Donnel with him. "What do you think? Should we trust them?"

Sumia thought for a moment "They did help the townspeople here. They might be able to help us." She turned and saw that the townspeople were coming out of the buildings they had hidden in and were now beginning to clean up the streets of all the bodies.

"Yeah, we should bring them with us! They were so cool!" Donnel said excitedly.

Robin nodded "it's decided then." He turned and walked back to where Alex and Ruby were waiting before offering a hand to Alex. "Welcome to the group."

That Evening

Sumia sat in a chair by the fire, looking out into the fenced-in yard behind the inn. Alex and Robin had taken it upon themselves to help Donnel improve his swordplay and they seemed to be enjoying themselves.

"Watching the boys play?" came a voice behind her.

Sumia spun in her seat to find Ruby watching with a smirk on her face. "Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you."

Sumia sighed with relief "It's ok. I wasn't paying attention."

Ruby walked over, taking the seat next to Sumia as she watched her brother coach Donnel though a new sword technique. After a few moments, she noticed that Sumia was looking into the yard, but her gaze rarely left Robin. An idea began to form in her mind.

"So, Robin. He's pretty handsome."

This comment startled Sumia so much she almost fell out of her chair. "W-what?!"

Ruby smirked at her reaction. "I'm just saying. He has a handsome face, a well sculpted body and an incredible mind, if the stories I've heard are true."

It took all of Sumia's self-control not to glare at the other woman. "What are you saying?"

Ruby got up and began to head upstairs to bed, but not before adding "He's a real catch. It would take a lucky woman to land him."

Sumia watched her till she disappeared from view.

**A/N: So, anyone want to take a guess at Alex and Ruby's classes? Also, these two are my first OCs ever. HAPPY CREATION DAY ALEX AND RUBY. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Two Chapters in Two days? I have one word for that-insomnia.**

Robin sat bolt upright in his rented bed, his body covered in a cold sweat. He held his head as recalled the dream, the same one he had had since Validar had controlled him. He shook the image of Chrom's collapsed form out of his mind's eye and got up, knowing that he wouldn't be able to get back to sleep. He pulled on his usual cloak and retrieved his Arcfire from the nightstand, deciding to leave the sword for now. He quietly opened the door of his room as not to wake anyone and crept down the hall. He passed Donnal and Alex's room to find the door closed, however, when he passed the room that they had given to Ruby and Sumia, the door was open to show that Ruby was in her bed, sound asleep, but the other bed was empty, the sheets and blankets disturbed. Curious, he decided to find Sumia.

He found her in the yard outside the inn. She was standing with her back to the wall and facing a tree that grew near the fence on the other side of the yard. Robin was about to approach her when he saw she was holding what looked like a book. He was confused, as there were many better places nearby to read, until her held the book open in one hand and held the other towards the tree. A small triangle of golden light flashed around her hand for an instant before fizzling out harmlessly. The book she was holding was a tome. Sumia hung her head in disappointment. Robin decided to approach her.

"What are you doing?" He asked, decided that was the best way to begin.

Sumia dropped the tome, startled as she turned to face Robin. "R-Robin?! What are you taking about!? I'm not doing anything!"

Robin knelt and picked up the tome, noticing from the cover that it was a basic wind tome. "So this tome just materialized in your hand?" he asked with a smirk.

Sumia hung her head again. "Ok fine, you caught me. I-I was trying to learn magic, so I could be more useful."

Robin sighed "You're already useful Sumia. You're the only flying unit in our…little group." He really needed a better name for their little band at this point.

Sumia shook her head "I know, but I want to be able to do more to help y-everyone." She quickly corrected herself.

Robin didn't notice, instead looking at the tome in his hand before handing it back to her. Sumia accepted the tome before turning her attention back to the tree. However she was halted when Robin gently took hold of her forearms. She gasped, startled "W-What are you doing!?"

"Your form is wrong if you want to cast magic." He replied quietly.

Sumia took this in and relaxed slightly, allowing Robin to reposition her arms so that she had the tome to her chest and a hand above her head.

"Now concentrate. Take a deep breath. Don't think about anything else except what you want the spell to do." He told her taking a step back.

Sumia closed her eyes, focusing all of her will on the tree, imaging a small tornado smashing against it. A small tug in her gut and flash of light, followed by a brief gust of wind followed. Her eyes snapped open just in time to see the tornado she had conjured smash against the tree, shaking it violently. Robin clapped slowly, a smile on his face before stepping next to her.

"See? Anyone who can do that is not useless." His words filled her with warmth and she felt her face grow hot.

Robin placed a hand on her shoulder, smiling at her for a moment before beginning to walk away.

"Wait Robin!" She stopped him as he about to leave.

He turned, taking note of the way she was taking care not to look him in the eye "Yes?"

She stepped up very close before quickly grabbing his cloak and planting a quick kiss on his cheek. "Thanks for helping me." She said, her face still bright red and hot enough to boil water as she speed walked past him into the inn, Robin following a moment later, a dumbfounded look on his face.

From the window above them, a black haired bride looked down with smile on her face. "So I was right. She does like him." Giggling for a moment, she returned to her bed.

Outside Plegia

Chrom and his shepherds had experienced disaster. After attempting to assault the Dragon's Table with the strategy that Frederick had spent a lot of effort creating, they had been caught off guard by a large group of mages pouring dark magic into their ranks, resulting in dozens of injuries. They eventually had no choice but to retreat or be destroyed by the relentless waves of Grimleal that just kept pouring out of the temple. Validar himself hadn't even made an appearance, leaving the defence up to Aversa, for good reason. She hadn't even needed to become directly involved, just sat back on her black Pegasus and gave orders to her men.

The army was currently on the Plegia-Ylisse border, tending to their wounded before retreating back to the capitol to regroup. Lissa, Maribelle and Libra were working as hard as they could, patching up wounds with their staves as other shepherds gave the wounded concoctions and elixirs. Chrom himself had taken a lance in the side, not a lethal wound, but a serious one none the less. As he looked over the maps on the table, he once again thought about Robin, feeling a surge of anger at his friend. However, this anger quickly fled when he remembered why he had left. Eventually an idea struck him and he walked to the one tent he had hoped he would never have to enter.

"Tharja? Are you in?" he called.

The flap didn't open, but he heard a voice from the other side. "What do you want?" it demanded.

"I need your help. Can I come in?" he asked, feeling a slowly building ball of fear in his chest.

"…fine." The tent flap opened and Chrom entered, the flap returning to its original position behind him.

Tharja was at a table, looking up and glaring at the lord. "What do you want?" she repeated herself.

Chrom took a deep breath before he spoke "I know you have an obsession with Robin. Do have any way of finding him? I need to send him a message."

Tharja sat looked at him darkly before replying "I know where he is."

Chrom was surprised at this. "How? Did he tell you he was leaving?!" he demanded.

"No, I have a tracking hex on him. I have for years. I could find out where he was at any time." Tharja replied, her look hardening.

Chrom returned the glare for a moment before sighing. "That doesn't matter now. Where is he?"

"He's in the last village before the Longfort. I don't know its name. If you hurry, your message could reach him before he leaves." Tharja's eyes never left his.

Chrom turned and left the tent quickly, knowing what he had to do. He couldn't leave the Shepherds himself to find his friend but he could send someone with a message. Arriving at his desk, he quickly took a sheet of parchment from his supply and grabbing his quill and ink, he wrote his message in a very neat, carful hand. After he was finished, he sealed the parchment with wax and applied his royal seal.

Chrom then left the tent and considered who to send. It had to be a rider of some description, but not a Pegasus knight, with Sumia's disappearance, the few Pegasus knights left were needed to scout ahead and make sure the road was clear. Sully had taken a bad hit during the battle and wasn't ready to ride again yet and Frederick was needed here. That left only one option.

"Stahl!" He called to the green armoured great knight as he come upon him at the edge of camp. The great knight jumped at the sudden loud noise before turning to Chrom and standing at attention.

"Sir! What do you need?" He asked, noticing the look in Chrom's eye.

"Grab your horse. I have a job for you." The lord replied.

After Stahl had retrieved his horse and grabbed his weapons, just in case, Chrom gave him the message. "I need you to deliver this to Robin. He's in the village near the Longfort. Don't stop for any reason. If he has left when you arrive try to find out where he went and catch him there. Do whatever you have to do, just deliver this message." His voice was almost desperate.

The green armoured great knight hesitated for a moment, then nodded and mounted his horse. A few minutes later, he was already miles away, racing towards his objective.

Chrom watched the man until he was out of sight, hoping that Robin would get the message in time.

**To whoever left the review wanting more SumiaxRobin, I grant your wish. Please leave a review. I use the amount of Reviews i get the measure my worth as a human being.**


	5. Chapter 5

In the Dragon's Table

Validar knelt next to the alter, upon which lay the completed Fire Emblem. He was almost ready to complete the quest that his family had begun a millennium ago and return Grima to the world. There was only one piece missing before he would succeed.

"My lord." Aversa's voice called from behind him.

Validar rose and turned, surprised. "Aversa? Where are the shepherds?"

Aversa raised an eyebrow and planted her hand on her hip. "They have withdrawn back across the border. Apparently they were not as intelligent as they thought they were."

Validar took a moment to process this. "This is not right. The exalted brat and my son were supposed to make it here…"

Aversa coughed. "I was about to get to that actually. Your son wasn't with them."

"WHAT?!" Validar's eyes shot open as wide as they could and he took a step towards her. "WHERE IS HE?!"

Aversa had anticipated this reaction and recovered quickly. "We don't know. He appears to have left the group some time ago, before the planning for the attack on the Table. Had he been there to plan it, the shepherds could probably have broken though our defences." Aversa's tone was neutral, but her eyes displayed a grudging respect for Robin's tactical abilities.

Validar's face slowly returned to a calm state and he looked Aversa in the eye again. "I have a new task for you. Find my son at any cost. He is needed to complete our work. Do you understand?"

Aversa nodded before turning and leaving her master to his thoughts.

Near the Longfort

Robin held his wooden sword ready as Alex charged. He met the Dread Fighter's slash with an expert parry, but Alex's brute strength made it hard for Robin to keep him at bay. Deciding to take a different approach, Robin loosened his grip on his weapon and spun away before attempting to strike Alex's back, only find his weapon blocked by the wooden axe held in the Dread Fighter's other hand.

Alex was proving to be a very competent fighter. His attacks left few openings and his blows were strong. His magic was not as powerful as his muscles, but was still reasonably potent. His defence needed some work, however, as his blocks were often slightly sloppy and inefficient. This Robin put to use immediately as he feinted with his blade before delivering a powerful slash to Alex's chest. The Dread Fighter fell over from the force of the blow before sitting up and smiling. "I yield."

Robin let out a deep breath before walking over and offering his friend a hand, helping him to his feet. "You're a talented fighter Alex, you just need to spend some more time on parrying. It could save your life."

Alex nodded. "Thanks for training with me, Robin. It had given me a lot to think about." He said with a grin before walking off and out of sight.

Robin took this opportunity to sit down and catch his breath, the session with Alex having taken a lot out of him. He pulled out his water flack and poured a small pool of it into his palm before splashing it across his face, washing away the sweat. After a while, his breathing returned to normal and he got up to check on the others.

Alex now helping some merchants from the town unload their wagon and set up their stalls, his strength making the task much faster and the merchants very grateful.

Ruby was practicing her bow work on a wooden target, her aim wavering slightly. She was obviously more comfortable with her lance, but understood the need to diversify. She had earlier displayed some proficiency with a staff as well, using a mend staff to heal a villager after a section of building had fallen on him.

Donnel was swinging his sword at a tree, leaving a series of clean cuts. He had improved significantly in a short time, but had almost no experience in actual battle yet. However, the way he swung the sword was promising, he would probably do very well.

Then there was Sumia. After their encounter a few nights ago, they hadn't spoken at length, only exchanging a brief word before one of them needed to leave to some task. They were not actively avoiding each other, they just had a hard time looking the other in the eye at the moment.

Robin found her in her usual place during the day, on the back of her Pegasus. This time, however, she was training in a different way. She held her new Thunder tome in one hand as she channeled the magic and sent the ball of lightning crashing against the ground, leaving a small crater.

Robin smiled. Sumia was having much more success with spells now and there was almost no pause as she summoned the magic. She landed her Pegasus gently in the field just outside town before dismounting. Robin approached her.

"Nice work with that spell." He said.

Sumia was once again startled, something that happened quite often at this point. She spun to look at him before her face turned a dark shade of red and her gaze fell to the floor. "Oh, Robin, it's just you. Yes, I seem to have gotten the hang of these low level spells at least. I am not sure about the stronger ones though." She replied, feeling slightly less embarrassed now that they had something to talk about.

Robin grinned. "Only one way to find out if you can." He said as he pulled his spare Elfire out of his cloak and offered it to her.

Sumia wanted to be surprised, but she knew that Robin had watched her training and probably planed this. She also knew it would do no good to try to deny the tome. She took it, her nervousness returning like water when the floodgates open.

Robin noticed her nervousness and took a few steps back. "Don't worry about messing up. You're supposed to mess up the first time you cast a new spell."

His voice had a calming effect on her. This was the first time some had told her she was supposed to be bad at something. Frederick had been in charge of training most units in the Shepherds and he always demanded perfection in all aspects. She had often noticed that Frederick spent more time on her then almost any other unit, trying to help her become a better solider, but at the end of the sessions, he always had a look in his eye nearing disappointment that she showed so little progress.

Robin wasn't like that. He gave her instructions on how to improve, watched her attempt to follow, but never became frustrated with her when she failed. He always encouraged her to try again and do better next time. She felt a familiar tug in her gut, only this one was much stronger as she held the tome in her usual pose before a ball of fire the size of a horse flew from her palm and smashed against a nearby boulder.

Sumia was shocked with herself. She had never been able to do anything like this before. She turned to Robin and, before she could stop herself, embraced him tightly.

Robin was pleasantly surprised by this, and returned the hug. They stayed like that for a few moments before Sumia broke off and, embarrassment returning once again, took a few steps back.

"What was that for?" he asked her.

"For always helping me." She answered a smile on her face even though she couldn't look him in the eye.

A short distance up the road

Stahl was finally approaching the town. He had followed Chrom's instructions to the letter, not even stopping to sleep and running his horse to almost the breaking point. The hardy beast had carried him quickly up the Northroad to reach his destination.

Approaching the town gates, he dismounted and, showing the townspeople the royal seal on the message he carried, left his horse in their care. The beast was exhausted and deserved a nice long rest. Hopefully, Robin was still in town and he wouldn't need to go chasing after him anytime soon.

Stahl had asked the townspeople if they had seen anyone matching Robin's description, and they had pointed him towards the field to the north-east of the town. He followed their directions and, as he climbed the hill, found his objective heading back into town for the evening.

"Robin!" He called, running over to the grandmaster.

Robin was shocked to see the great knight running towards him and responded the way he would any other probable assassin. He pulled out his tome and got in his casting stance. "Stay back, Stahl!" He answered.

Stahl stopped dead in his tracks, raising his hands to appear non-threatening. "Robin, I'm not here to kill you. Chrom sent me with a message for you, I'm only here to deliver it." His voice was calm, but he was suppressing panic, as he had seen what Robin was capable of doing with his Arcfire tome.

Robin considered this for a moment before lowering his hand and slipping his tome back into his robes. "Fine, then. Let's talk."

Stahl relaxed before a shadow descended from behind him and he spun around to see the one person he didn't expect. "Sumia! W-what are you doing here?"

Sumia dismounted her Pegasus. She had watched Robin's confrontation with the great knight before she had approached. "I came with Robin when he left. He needed help more than the Shepherds did." There was an unusual inflection when she said the name, almost like it left a bad taste in her mouth.

Robin stepped past them. "Let's go to the inn. We can talk there."


	6. Chapter 6

Robin, Stahl and Sumia entered the inn, drawing the attention of Alex, Ruby and Donnal as they entered. Alex glanced at Stahl, then back to Robin, looking at him questioningly. Robin responded with a slight shake of his head before leading Stahl to a table and sitting down. Sumia sat beside him while Stahl was opposite them.

"So." Started Robin "What message did you bring?"

Stahl pulled out the sealed letter and handed it to Robin. He took the parchment gently, before breaking the seal and unrolling it to read its contents.

_Robin_

_I understand why you left, but I need your help. Frederick's plan to retake the emblem was a complete failure and the Shepherds are vulnerable. The Ylisseian army was decimated and the Ferox troops are the only ones keeping the lines together as we treat our wounded. I'm amazed none of the Shepherds were killed but most of us were injured, some quite badly. I don't know what to do Robin! We are retreating back to the capitol to regroup. Please, come home. We need you._

_Chrom_

Robin took a deep breath after reading the letter. He had a feeling something like this would happen, but he was surprised by how little it bothered him. Sure he wanted to help Chrom protect his people, but after the way the Shepherds had treated him before he left, he honestly could not feel sorry for them now.

Stahl had been quiet up until that point. After seeing Robin finish the letter, however he spoke. "So, will you come back? We really need help." He was sure that Robin would see sense and come to their aid, using his brilliant mind to come up with a daring plan to-

"No." Robin replied flatly.

Stahl's jaw went slack for a moment. "What? WHY NOT!?"

Robin turned to Stahl, something close to a sneer on his face. "They made it very clear that they don't want my help. I was perfectly willing to help them after the…incident in Plegia. THEY rejected ME. If they don't want my help, then they can live with the consequences. Even if I did come back, most of them would still hate me. They would not trust any plan I put forward."

Stahl opened his mouth again, but found that there were no words to come. He completely understood Robin's reasoning and could not find a way to talk the grandmaster out of his decision. Stahl hung his head, defeated.

"I will, however, help you get them ready." Robin spoke again, this time through his teeth.

Stahl was surprised once again. "What?"

Robin glared at the great knight. "I said, I will help the Shepherds get ready for Plegia's response. I will not let innocent people suffer because a group of their military are idiots." He stared Stahl down and Stahl was honestly scared of the dark eyed man that was opposite him. He fidgeted nervously for moment before Robin spoke again. "Tell me everything you know about the Shepherds current condition and the units that Validar deployed against you at the Table. Be VERY specific and descriptive, please."

Several hours later

Using the information provided by Stahl, Robin came up with a solution. Assaulting the Table again was out of the question, until the Shepherds were back at their top condition. That meant that the only option was the fall back into a defensible position and get ready for Plegia's counter attack. He knew that the best place to do that was in Ylisstol, the thickly walled, well supplied city would be able to withstand a siege for years if need be. The Ylissian-Ferox army could do a great deal of damage to their attackers from the safety of the walls, as Plegian assaults were often similar to a pickaxe, pounding at a rock until it or the rock breaks. Robin was sure that Chrom could hold the city as long as he didn't do anything stupid.

Robin finished writing his plan, including adding maps and diagrams, on a large piece of parchment before writing a reply to Chom's message on a separate piece.

_Chrom_

_I received your message and I understand your desperation. However, I will not come back. The Shepherds made it very clear that they don't want my help and I do not need them. Use the plan written on the other parchments to respond the Plegia's attack. It's the only chance you have, then, after your army had recovered and rearmed, try to take the table again._

_Also, you must have noticed that Sumia disappeared the same day I left. She came with me. I did not force her too, it was of her own free will. Do not send anyone after us. If you want to speak with me again, find us yourself._

_Robin_

He finished his writing before rolling everything up and sealing it. He gathered everything up and handed everything to Stahl.

"The plans are in here." He handed the great knight the thick tube of parchment before holding out the smaller one. "And this is a message to Chrom."

Stahl nodded before accepting it. "I'll make sure he gets them." He got up and left without another word.

That evening

Robin was in the main room of the inn, sitting next to Sumia as he made sure his belongings were packed. They planned to be back on the road by morning, pass though the Longfort, head slightly further north before turning west at that point, towards Port Ferox. Robin was so busy planning a route that he didn't notice Alex, Ruby and Donnel till they had joined him and Sumia around the fire.

"Robin." Said Alex, concern in his voice. "Can we have a little talk, please?"

Robin was surprised, having never heard this tone from his friend. "Sure. What about?"

Alex nodded slightly. "It's about that green armoured man who left early. I didn't mean to intrude, but I overheard much of your conversation." Alex lowered his head apologetically for a moment before looking Robin in the eye again. "What were you talking about when you mentioned the Shepherds?"

Robin froze for a moment. He didn't know what to say at this point. The silence dragged on before Ruby spoke up.

"Robin, we just want to know why you were so upset. We've never seen you like that before and we are genuinely concerned for you." Her words were emphasized by the look in her eyes. Donnel nodded before adding, "Yeah, we just want to know what's wrong."

Robin looked at Sumia, who nodded, before sighing. "Ok, here's the full story."

He told them everything, about how his father was, about what had happened before he left the Shepherds, about the children from the future, everything. By the time he was done, the sun had completely set and the stars shone in the night sky. Robin lowered his head, waiting for them to strike him, to say he was a monster, to react just like the Shepherds had.

To his surprise, Alex place a hand on his shoulder, causing Robin to meet his eye again. The look they held was one of sympathy. Ruby and Donnel shared similar looks before Alex spoke. "If the Shepherds abandoned you because of reasons like that, then they are idiots. You are a good person and I, for one, am honored to be your friend."

"Same goes for me." Said Ruby. "I know you'll find a way to make this right."

"And we'll be right there with ya!" finished Donnel.

Robin was shocked. He had never anticipated this. He felt happy tears build in his eyes for a moment before he spoke again.

"Thank You."

**A/N: So, shorter chapter, but very eventful. Reviews keep me motivated to write, so keep them coming. **


	7. Chapter 7

Robin and his friends left town early the next morning, following the route that Robin had planned. Despite the fact that he wore a heavy pack across his back, Robin had never felt lighter now that he wasn't trying to keep everything had happened between him and the Shepherds a secret from his new friends.

Eventually, however, they encountered a distressingly common sight in some areas of the world. A group of bandits were swarming an old fort, apparently trying to get at a pair of young women who were taking shelter inside.

Robin turned to his companions. "So it looks like this group are slavers. If they had wanted those girls dead they could have killed them already."

Alex nodded and stepped up to get a better view of the scene before turning to Robin "We have to help them!"

"Agreed." Robin' mind began to work quickly as he took in the scene below them. "Ok, here's the plan. Sumia and I will get to the fort and protect the two of them." He said as he pointed at the girls. "You, Ruby and Donnel will be heading over that bridge. The one who appears to be the leader of this group is in those ruins. Kill him, and the others should disperse. Any objections?"

No one said anything, just nodded their heads and readied their weapons. Robin joined Sumia on her Pegasus before the two of them took off towards the fort.

Inside the fort

"Come on Noire, we can still get out of here. We just need a plan." The young Manakete said as she tried to find a way out of the fort, preferably by an escape tunnel of some description.

The archer shook her head and sighed. "No, I'm sorry Nah, but there's no way out. You don't even have a Dragonstone and I'm not very good with this bow." She said sorrowfully as she held her steel bow at eye level.

Nah was starting to get annoyed with her friend as she checked the door to make sure it was holding. The fort they were inside was old, but still strong. The bandits that were attacking them were smashing their axes against it, trying to gain entrance, but the door was designed to hold back a battering ram, and was barley shaking from the impacts. She then turned to Noire again, her look hardening slightly. "So we should just let these disgusting pigs take us?! Let them sell us?! Do you really think that's a good idea Noire!?"

Noire was sill for a moment before pulling something from a pouch on her belt. Her face immediately changed, her eyes darkening. "BLOOD AND THUNDER!" She yelled, her dark side coming out. "NO MORTAL SHALL TAKE ME ALIVE! GHAHAHA!" Then just as quickly, her personality returned to normal. "Also, I have a question."

Nah sighed quietly. "What?"

"Why isn't the door shaking anymore?"

The manakete turned and saw that Noire was right. The door now remained sill. Nah approached the door cautiously, listening intently. While, muffled by the door, she could make out the sound metal crashing against metal and fire spells being cast. This was followed by a few cried of pain that her abruptly cut off. Silence followed.

Nah and Noire stayed where they were, unsure what to do next, before someone knocked on the door and a woman's voice called to them. "Hello? Is anyone in there? The bandits are gone."

Noire and Nah looked at each other, deciding what to do. They couldn't stay in the fort forever, and this voice couldn't possibly be worse than the ones they had escaped from. Coming to this conclusion, Nah approached the door, Noire keeping back holding her bow in case it was a trick. After a deep breath, Nah unlocked and opened the door.

The women on the other side was clearly not a bandit, as her armour was actually clean and her hair looked like it occasionally came within a mile of a brush. She smiled warmly and knelt to look the short manakete in the eye.

"Are you both alright?" She asked, looking genuinely concerned.

"Y-Yes. Thank you for saving us." Nah responded, Noire coming up beside her.

The woman smiled and turned before turning to find her companion. He was at the moment, driving his sword through the heart of one of the unlucky bandits who's wounds hadn't been instantly lethal. He raised his head to meet her eyes before she nodded and he approached them.

The two girls were nervous until the man smiled spoke. "I'm glad neither of you were hurt. Can I ask your names?"

Nah relaxed as she responded. "I'm Nah and this is Noire. Now that you know our names, what's yours?"

"I'm Robin, this is Sumia and we are here to help you. We should probably be safe now though." He spoke as he looked across at the ruins on the other side of the river. "I appears our companions have finished their leader."

Noire and Nah turned to see the few bandits left alive turn and run as Alex drove his sword though their leader chest and decapitated another bandit with the axe in his other hand. Robin turned to them again. "Come on, we can talk more when we get regroup." He had a calming smile on his face and his tone was none threatening, so Noire and Nah decided to accept his invitation.

After they had rejoined with Alex, Ruby and Donnel and introductions were made, Noire and Nah finally felt safe.

"So, these slavers had a good supply of gold stored here." Alex began talking after they had built a fire for the evening. "The leader even had this gem on him." He held out a hand, showing a perfectly round sphere, with a strange light flickering from inside.

Nah's eyes went wide. "My dragonestone! Those bandits took it before Noire and I escaped."

Alex turned to her and offered her the gem. "You should take care of this. I would be very hard to replace."

Nah accepted the stone graciously. "Thanks, it was a gift from my mother...the only thing I have left of her. Her name was Nowi."

Robin froze. "What did you say her name was?" he asked.

"I said her name was Nowi." Nah repeated, slightly confused by Robin's response.

Robin was still for a moment, before he face-palmed with what appeared to be quite painful force. "Oh, god. You're from the future."

Alex and Ruby were surprised at this. They had believed that there in fact children from the future fighting alongside the shepherds, but it was one thing to take a friend's word for something, and quite another to see evidence of it in front of them. Donnel accepted this with little difficulty. He had been following Robin for a while, and had never had reason to doubt anything he said before.

Nah and Noire were slightly surprised by this, before Noire made a realization. "Wait, you're Robin!?"

Robin nodded, wondering where she was going with this before Noire spoke again.

"My mother was obsessed with you! She always followed you wherever you went."

Robin took this in before he found the one person in his memories that matched that description. "Tharja. She's your mother, isn't she?"

Noire nodded.

Robin sighed. "Great, now I know that Tharja would have eventually stopped stalking me and found someone else. There's a load of my mind."

Nah looked Robin in the eye before speaking. "I have a question though, why are you out here? According to the few history books I could find the future, you were leading the shepherds against Validar at the Dragon's table at this point."

Robin lowered his eyes, staring at the ground. For the second time, he was repeating the story of why he left, the two girls listening intently.

When he finished he looked them in the eye to gauge their reactions. Noire had her hands over her mouth in shock, while Nah had an angry spark in her eye. "I can't believe Lucina would do that. I knew she was desperate to save the world, but to go that far…"

Robin sighed again. "Yes, well, now you know." He stood up. "Ylisstol is about three days walk that way." He pointed. "We can give you supplies."

Noire and Nah, looked at each other and considered for a moment before Nah, who was apparently being groomed as their spokesperson, turned to him again. "What are the five of you going to do?"

Robin sighed. "We are going to keep doing what we were doing before, protecting people. The shepherds didn't want me, so I'm helping people my way."

Noire and Nah looked at him wide eyed before they stood and walked a short distance away talking among themselves. A short time later, they returned.

"Robin" Nah began "can we come with you?"

Robin had been in the process of fixing his hood, but the question made his eyes snap up. "What?"

"I said, can we come with you?" Nah repeated. "You want to help people, but WE want to help YOU!" her voice grew in volume at the last four words, emphasizing the words.

Robin was still for a moment before a smile broke out on his face. "If you want to, then you are welcome to join us." He offered Nah a hand, which she accepted. "Welcome to the group." Damn, he needed to think of a name for them now.

In Plegia

"What can you report, scout." Aversa asked the man kneeling before her. "Did you find him?"

"No, milady." He said, before adding "However, I did hear a rumer about a man matching that description traveling north from Southtown. I request permission to return to my duties."

Aversa's eyes narrowed. "Granted. With new order as to your goal." She approached him and handed him a purple covered tome. "Use this when you find your target. It will allow me to find you instantly. Master Validar wants me to oversee the…acquisition personally. Dismissed."

The cloaked man left without another word or look back.

**A/N: As most of you know, Noire and Nah actually have separate recruitment chapters in the game. However, I really do not like Nah's map, so I combined them into this one chapter. Remember to review.**


	8. Chapter 8

Ylisstol

Chrom was in the courtyard of the Shepherds garrison. He swung Falchion, again and again at the wooden dummies that he had set up around the yard, trying to control his unease. It had been two days since he sent Stahl after Robin and he was anxious to have his tactician back.

Heavy footsteps from behind him alerted him of another person in the he yard. Chrom lowered his sword and turned. "Frederick. What brings you here?"

Frederick bowed. "Milord, Stahl has returned from the task you gave him."

Chrom frowned. "Just Stahl?"

"Yes, milord." Answered Frederick.

Chrom hung his head. "Have him brought to the war room in the barracks, I'll meet him there."

A short time later

Stahl was already in the room when Chrom and Frederick arrived. He was obviously nervous, as he kept shifting under the great lord's gaze. Chrom wasted no time in beginning.

"What happened?" He asked very directly.

Stahl took a deep breath before giving them a full explanation of his mission. He told them that he had found Robin and that the grandmaster had refused to return, even after reading Chrom's message. He also made a very clear point that Robin still wanted to help by providing a plan of defence for the capitol. When he brought up Sumia, he thought Frederick was going to have an aneurism. Seeing the other great knight's reaction, he quickly handed Chrom the letter and was dismissed.

Chrom unrolled the plan for the defence of the city. It was incredibly detailed. Robin had taken advantage of Stahl's caring nature, as the great knight had checked on every wounded member of the shepherds, giving Robin a clear understanding of the extent of the injuries. After examining it closely, he saw that the plan was perfect for the task at hand, even including instructions of what to do when things go wrong.

Frederick scoffed at the plan. "Milord, permit me throw this treacherous pile of waste in the hearth."

Chrom spun to look at Frederick, shocked. "What?"

Frederick looked his lord in the eye. "This 'defence plan' was created by the spawn of our enemy. He and his Pegasus riding whore are traitors. They are probably already at the Table with Validar, getting ready to exploit the weaknesses in this plan. Permit me to take some knights and I shall see that they are both executed for their cri-"

"You will do no such thing!" Chrom shouted. Frederick stepped back, startled. "Robin and Sumia are many things, but they are not now, nor will they ever be, traitors. Robin planned our campaigns against Gangrel and then Walhart. He and Sumia fought alongside us to bring peace to those lands. Without them, we would have never been able to defeat Plegia two years ago, let alone stop Valm."

"What about your own daughter's future!" Frederick countered. Normally he would never speak this way to Chrom, but his charge needed to see sense. "He murdered you in cold blood to make way for Grima!"

"You can't hold the Robin of our world responsible for something another version of him did in entirely different realm!" Chrom took a step towards his knight. "The fact of the matter is, Frederick, right now, I trust Robin's plans a lot more then I trust yours. You will commit this plan to memory, and see that everyone knows what they are supposed to do. That's an order. Obey it or I will find someone who will."

Frederick was shocked. Chrom had never said anything remotely like this before. He was sworn to protect his lord in all aspects, however, so he had follow his oath. "No, milord. I cannot follow that order." He said it quietly, but was also sure that Chrom would not follow through with his earlier threat, that he would see sense.

Chrom took a deep breath before replying. "Very well then, Frederick." He let out another breath and slowly lifted his head to look the great knight in the eye. Frederick at this moment realized he had been wrong. "As of this moment, with my authority as Captain, strip you of your rank of deputy of the Shepherds."

Frederick felt like an arrow had gone through his chest. "But-but milord! Who will replace me if you strip me of rank?" He asked hoping Chrom would reverse his order.

Chrom was about to respond when Stahl quickly re-entered. "My lord! He said quickly "I volunteer for the role. I fully understand the responsibilities involved and accept then whole heartedly!" He had been waiting outside the door, listening in on the conversation.

Chrom smiled at the return of the other great knight. "Very well Stahl. I was going to ask you anyway. Your only one who I can trust to keep a level head in days to come. I name you my new deputy, and I believe you already know what my first order to you is."

Stahl nodded and began to look over the map, taking in the details. Frederick's eyes were burning with anger at this development until Chrom turned to him again. "Frederick, you are ordered to join the guard at the main gate and watch for the Plegian's counter attack. You are dismissed."

The former second in command of the Shepherds left without a word.

Northern Ferox

Robin and his group, he still needed a name for them, had just turned south slightly from the path they had originally planned. A storm at sea was causing massive waves to crash against the continent, rendering the coast unpassable for the time being. This meant that the group had to backtrack down the path they had begun to take before meeting Noire and Nah. This also meant that night had fallen before they could cover much ground. With night closing in, they had headed towards the inn, deciding that one more night there wouldn't be the end of the world. However, as they approached the town, a Ferox guard approached them.

"Excuse me." He said, his tone clearly revealing that his manners were forced. "Is there a Robin among you?"

Robin stepped forward, Alex keeping behind him and close enough to help it things got ugly. "Yes?"

"I have order that you and your companions be brought to the castle at once." The guard told them. He was stiff, as if ready for them to disobey and respond with force.

Robin turned to glance at his group. They had not broken any laws as far as he knew. Deciding that resisting would be a very bad idea at the moment, he turned to the guard again. "Ok then. Lead on."

Robin and his group were uneasy as they entered the main hall. They had no idea what was going on, all turning to Robin.

"Are we in trouble?" asked Ruby, voicing the question that was on everyone's minds.

A loud, booming voice responded from the far hallway of the room. "Not at all. Just wanted to see an old friend."

Robin froze, he recognized the voice, but it couldn't possibly belong the man he thought it did. He turned to find, standing in the doorway, the huge figure of Kahn Basilio, arms folded and a smirk on his face.

Several hours later

The group was gathered around a large table as Robin explained the current situation to the apparently resurrected Kahn. Basilio was more understanding then they had expected, telling Robin that he did the right thing by leaving. He also gave them lodging for as long as they needed, but the assured him they would be leaving by morning. Basilio bid them farewell for the evening before leaving them for the training field once more.

They spent the night relaxing, knowing that the road west was long and rough. Ruby, however, had taken it upon herself to teach Noire a little more about bow work, setting up targets and teaching her tricks on hitting them.

Robin was in his room, having already packed his bag and gotten ready for the coming morning when he heard a knock on his door. He answered it to find Sumia fidgeting outside. "Sumia? Did you need something?"

Sumia's face turned slightly red before she replied. "C-can you come for a walk with me, please?"

Robin was surprised, but saw no harm in accepting her invitation. "Sure. We better put on something warm though, it's cold outside."

Sumia nodded, left for a moment, then returned wearing a new coat, its insides lined with animal fur. Robin pulled on his cloak and left the room with her. They stepped out into the castle grounds, looking up at the clear night sky before Robin noticed that Sumia's face was growing redder and redder as they walked.

He decided to ask the obvious question. "Why did you want me come out here?"

Sumia turned and looked him in eye, for about a second before her gaze dropped. "I-I just wanted to thank you."

Robin as confused. "For what?"

Sumia let out a shaky breath before continuing. "Even before we left, you always helped me. You never mocked me for my lack of skill. You helped me grow stronger when even Frederick was deeming me a lost cause." Her breath was becoming more erratic as she continued. "You made me feel like I could actually be useful to someone. Like I mattered."

Robin was confused about where she was going with this. He didn't think he had done anything special. Helping her was the right thing to do. "Sumia, your acting very strange."

Sumia brought her breathing back under control. "Robin" she began again "I brought you here because this would probably be the last chance I to talk to you where no one would disturb us for a long time." Her eyes stayed locked on the ground. "I wanted to thank you for losing your memories. Thank you for being in that field. Thank you for choosing to join the shepherds." She paused for a moment, taking a deep breath. "Thank you for giving me the chance to love you."

Silence followed. Her eyes began to water as it dragged on. He was going to reject her just like everyone else. She squeezed her eyes shut.

She felt a hand land on her shoulder and another touch her chin, bringing her head up.

She felt his lips press against hers.

**A/N: How's that for a romance scene. It's the first one I have ever written. **


	9. Chapter 9

Near the Ruins of Time

The skies were clear as a lone Pegasus carried its rider north. After catching sight of it's objective, it dove to hover near the ground. "FINALLY. There's supposed to be a Tear of Naga in these ruins if the local legend has it right." The hyperactive red-head patted her mount's head fondly. "What do you say girl? Ready for a heroic quest?" The Pegasus swished its tail in response. The girl smiled, her ponytails hanging in her face. "In we go then!"

Castle Ferox

Light came slowly as dawn broke, the sun hidden behind a thick layer of grey clouds. Alex and Ruby were the first ones up, their mercenary lifestyle having that effect on their bodies. They packed their things and left their rooms, exchanging greetings in the hall. As they walked down the hall, they saw that Robin and Sumia weren't in their rooms either, but didn't think much of it. They used to be in an army and one of the remnants of that experience was early morning awakenings. Knowing it could be while before everyone was up and ready to travel, they decided to take a walk around the castle.

They did not expect to find their missing companions asleep against a tree with Robin's cloak around the two of them as Robin held Sumia in loose embrace. Ruby smirked, having expected something like this to happen sooner or later.

Alex, on the other hand, was completely surprised. "When did these two get so close?"

Ruby face palmed. "Brother, I love you, but you are as oblivious as a brain damaged salmon."

Alex was about to counter her statement when he noticed that Robin had begun to stir. "We should go. It's none of our business what they do when their alone together."

Ruby nodded, but as she and her sibling began to walk away, she glanced back at Sumia and smirked again.

Several hours later everyone was awake and ready for the road. Robin was one of the last to head for the gate, has he had found that his silver sword was degrading rather quickly with use and needed repairs. He was so caught up in his task that he didn't notice the huge build of the West Kahn approach him.

"So, you really are leaving, boy?" He asked.

"Yes, sir. Thanks for your help, but we need to get back on the road. I hope we meet again." Robin answered with a smile.

"Before you go, I have something for you." Basilio was unusually serious. Robin was slightly unnerved by this.

"You do?"

Basilio pulled a sword sheath from his back and offered it to Robin. "This is Exellion. It's been a Feroxi treasure for centuries. I want you to take it."

Robin was shocked. "B-Basilio, I'm honored, truly, but this I can't-" Basilio cut him off.

"Robin, this sword is meant to be carried by a hero. I have heard what you have done since you left the shepherds. You are more than worthy to carry this blade."

Robin was still for a moment, before he slowly accepted the blade. "Thank you, Kahn Basilio."

Basilio finally grinned. "You better get moving, boy. Your girlfriend might get worried." With that he turned and walked off into the castle.

Robin turned and made his way to the gate before a realization hit him. "How did Basilio know about Sumia?"

"We told him." Came Alex's voice from in front of him. "We walked in on the two of you this morning."

Robin blushed madly.

Eastern Valm

"BEHOLD!" came a very loud voice as a blonde haired myrmidon swung his blade at a tree, leaving a deep cut.

"Owain, we need to get movin, we got a lot of ground to cover and not a lot of time before it starts raining again." Came a voice from a nearby priest as he poured a bucket of water on the remains of last evening's campfire.

Owain sheathed his blade. "Oh, Brady of the moistened eyes, you are not yet able to comprehend the magnitude of power I must ach-"

"Yeah, whatever." Brady cut him off. He stood up straight and stretched. "Where's our 'glorious leader' anyway?"

Owain let out a laugh. "He went to town to acquire more supplies. So he's probably off flirting again. He never learns."

"I never learn what?" came another, slightly offended voice.

Owain and Brady turned to find a blue haired mercenary lugging a large sag over his shoulder enter the small camp.

"Nothing, Cousin." Said Owain sarcastically.

The blue haired man walked over to his tent and began taking it down, accomplishing the task quite quickly. "Brady, how's your staff holding up? We don't want to be caught unprepared."

Brady shrugged. "About as well as can be expected. I used a few of Ma's tricks to make it last longer, but I could use a replacement soon and don't you need a need a new sword anyway, Inigo?"

Inigo shook his head. "I took a new one from the bandits we dealt with a few days ago. It's not as sharp as or strong as I'd like but it'll do."

By this point, Owain had taken down his tent, rolled it up and attached it to his pack before hoisting it up onto his back. "Ok them dear friends. Shall we continue our quest to the coast?"

Brady rolled his eyes and pulled on his pack. "This ain't a quest. We're just going to the coast to find a boat to get us to Ylisse."

Owain smiled. "It's still a quest. Another chapter in the chronicles of Owain Dark!" His voice was raised considerably for the last two words, frightening several birds out of nearby trees.

Inigo shook his head again and began walking, his friends following.

Inside the Ruins of Time

"Ugh, why does my head hurt so much?" said a silver haired girl as she sat up from the stone floor she had been lying on. "She rubbed her temples with her index fingers before standing up to take a look around. Nearby, she saw another person lying on their side. She was suddenly overwhelmed with concern as her body moved without her knowledge until she was kneeling on the ground beside him, shaking his shoulders.

"Marc, Marc wake up!" She shouted.

"Ugh." Was his response as he opened his eyes. "Morgan? Where are we? Where's dad?"

"I don't know. I don't see him anywhere." Morgan answered. She held out her hand and helped her twin to his feet. He tottered slightly before righting himself. The two of them took a moment to take in their surroundings.

The stone floor was almost completely covered in ice, making solid footing hard to find. There were deep chasms all around them, with only narrow stone bridges connecting them. The twins began making their way towards the nearest one.

"So, do you know where we are?" Morgan asked her brother.

"Nope. Never seen this place before." He answered.

As the two of them reached the center of the icy platform, Morgan spotted movement above them. At first she thought it was nothing, a bird or something flying in front of the light. However, soon she realized it was much too big and fast for a bird and it was coming right at them. Before she could warn her brother, the fast shape had closed the distance. There was a roar of wind as a Pegasus landed hard right in front of them. She was blown back a few feet, the wind making it impossible to keep her eyes open. Then, she felt something very strong wrap around her and pull her into a tight embrace.

The wind rushing in her ears eventually died down, allowing her to make out what she assumed to be words. "OHNAGAITHOUGHTIWOULDNEVERFINDYOUTWOI'MSOGLADYOURBOTHOKAY." This continued for a while before Morgan was finally able to open her eyes.

She was being held in an embrace by a young woman. Her hair was a dark red, the same colour as Marc's. He had it arranged into a pair of ponytails sticking out of the sides of her head. The woman eventually let her go and looked her in the eye, tears running down her face.

"Um" Morgan began "I'm sorry, but have we met?"

The woman was shocked. "Morgan it's me, Cynthia!" She was met with a frown from Morgan. "Your older sister? Your personal Hero?"

Morgan shook her head. Cynthia turned to Marc. "Marc, do you know me?" she sounded almost afraid of the answer.

Marc looked like he was deep in thought for a moment before he opened his eyes. "No, I'm sorry. I don't remember anything but my father."

Cynthia's eyes sparked open and a smile appeared on her face. "I can prove I'm your sister. Your father's name is Robin. He's a master tactician that prince Chrom found in a field with no memory."

Marc's eyes widened before his gaze returned to normal. "Our father is quite famous. Anyone could know that."

Cynthia thought quickly before she had an idea. "When the two of you were babies, father gave each of you a stuffed animal. Morgan's was a bear and yours was a monkey." She smiled, as the twins never told anyone about that.

Marc was surprised. "Ok then, you are our sister. But why don't we remember you?"

Cynthia shook her head and frowned. "I don't know, but we can deal with that later." Her frown changed to a smile. "I'm just glad I found the two of you. Let's get out of here and we can figure out what to do next. Ok?"

The twins nodded simultaneously. The three siblings were about to move when there was a bright flash of purple light somewhere below them. They stood frozen as warriors with ghastly gray skin began to haul themselves up from below, clutching weapons.

Marc's hand had instinctively made its way to his sword as his twin pulled out her tome and their oldest sibling pulled the lance off her back before the monsters spoke as one.

"MUST…KILL….FUTURE…CHILDREN"

**So I couldn't decide which Morgan to bring into the story, so I said "Screw it, I'm adding both of them!" Also to anyone who thinks Cynthia is out of character, I would think that she would prioritize lovingly reuniting with her younger siblings then putting up a heroic facade at the moment.**


	10. Chapter 10

Port Ferox

"At last, we have arrived in the land of legends, ready to slay the divine evil!" Owain shouted as he came down the gangplank and into the port, Brady and Inigo following behind him. His outburst earned him a few strange looks from the townspeople.

"Owain, we're trying to get to Ylisstol. If you keep acting like that people with think you're crazy." Brady called to his friend as he made it to the bottom of the ramp.

Inigo was about to add something to the conversation when he saw something that immediately caught his attention. He jogged of to join it.

Owain and Brady had been talking to each other for a few moments before they noticed his absence. They turned to look down the street and what they saw made their hearts sink.

Inigo was talking to an extremely distressed looking young woman as she made frantic gestures and appeared to be on the verge of tears. Groaning, Owain and Brady walked over to him.

Inigo turned they got close. Owain was the first to speak. "My fair lady, I am so sorry for whatever my cousin my have said but-"he was cut off when the woman turned to him and began speaking in a desperate voice.

"Please, you have to find her! She left yesterday and hasn't come back and she could be dead! Oh, please!"

Owain was confused before Inigo turned to him. "Her friend went off to explore some ruins to the north yesterday and hasn't come back. She was asking me to go find her."

Brady was immediately drawn to the conversation. "I can't stand to watch a grown woman cry. Where are these ruins?"

The villager gave them it's location and the three friends took off to the north.

"Hey, Owain?" asked Inigo as they travelled.

"Yes?" the myrmidon answered.

"What did you mean by 'whatever my cousin might have said'?"

Owain smirked. "You know exactly what I meant."

A short distance east

Robin and his group finally made it over the last hill and came within sight of Port Ferox. They were lucky, the weather had held the entire trip and they hadn't needed to use extra supplies. They all walked down the hill and into the port, seeing shops carrying goods from all over the world now that they had been able to trade with the Valmese continent again. They quickly split up their tasks and spread out across the town.

Sumia made her way down the street, looking at every shop window till she found the kind she was looking for. It was a small building with many different types of tome displayed in the window. The group had used up most of their tomes against some either extremely brave, or unfortunately stupid bandits before their flesh was burned off or the skeletons underneath were smashed to pieces against a cliff or tree by a blast of wind.

Sumia entered the store. She was the only customer in the establishment and was able to simply hand the owner a list and was able to have everything she needed in a few minutes. She was unsure about the Arcwind tome, however. Robin said that she had progressed enough to use it, but she wasn't sure. But, as Robin had pointed out when she brought his up while they made the list, she wouldn't know till she tried. As she picked up her bag and left, she noticed a clothes store across the street. She knew she probably shouldn't, but, as she looked down at herself and the clothes she wore, it didn't seem right to dress like a Ylissian Pegasus knight when she wasn't one anymore. Making up her mind, she entered the store.

Later, everyone but Sumia had met up in the center of town again, packs loaded with the supplies that they had purchased. Robin had had some spare time after acquiring the concoctions that he was looking for, so he had spent some time at one of the local bars and, in between choking on strong Feroxi Liquor, picked up an interesting rumor. He was eager to share it once everyone was assembled. Eventually he heard the voice of the missing member as she arrived, coming from behind him.

"Sorry I'm late. I had to…make a stop." She sounded nervous.

Robin turned and his voice began to form words, but they quickly died when a new question took hold. "Sumia, what are you wearing?"

It was a rhetorical statement, he could see what she was wearing. Instead of her usual pale cream armour, she was wearing a black leather shirt and black riding pants. Sumia blushed and turned her gaze to the floor. "I didn't want to dress like a shepherd anymore."

Robin looked at her for a moment, before he nodded and turned to the group. "Ok then, I heard a rumor recently that I think we should investigate. I heard that there is a tear of Naga in some ruins up north. If we could find it, it would be huge asset to us. Any objections?"

No one did.

In the Ruins of Time

Marc was having trouble keeping his footing as he parried the heavy axe of his opponent. He eventually took advantage of the slippery floor by spinning away from the enemy, the Risen carried forward by their own momentum, sending it over the edge. He heard it splatter against something, but didn't have it in him to check for a body. Taking a breath, Marc turned to find his siblings.

Morgan was nearby, blasting away another group of Risen with her Arcthunder tome and was seeming to be holding her own. He would never admit it, but he did worry for his sister as any brother would. It took him a while longer to find Cynthia, and when he did, his heart almost stopped.

Cynthia had been forced to land her Pegasus on a platform across a rather large pit from them and the risen were beginning to close in on her. She was obviously an experienced fighter, however, and was able to keep them at bay with her lance as her mount kicked at their heads with bone crushing force. But she could only deal with the risen that were assaulting her with melee combat. In only a few moments, she gave out a cry of pain as an arrow pierced her shoulder, knocking her off her mount.

"No!" Marc cried as he began to run towards his sister. Morgan noticed what had happened and paled for moment before she began pouring lightning into the group of Risen that were advancing towards the fallen Pegasus knight. The risen were burned away by the dozen, but there were many more taking their place as they press onwards towards Cynthia. Her Pegasus was forming a living shield in front of her as it kicked out, shattering Risen skulls as they drew closer and closer. She was quick to realize that she wasn't going to be able to escape from this herself and her siblings were too far away to help her.

Cynthia held up lance and hardened her facial expression. "Hero's don't cry." She said quietly to herself, even though her vision began to blur as the closest Risen swung its arm, smacking her lance away and raising its axe above its head with its other arm.

Before it could begin to descend, however, there was a loud call, echoing through the halls.

"This is your last dance!"

Suddenly, the Risen standing over Cynthia stiffened. A moment later, it sunk to the ground and turned to purple smoke. Standing behind it was a man in the garb of a mercenary. His oddly blue hair blew in the wind as he spun, dealing another blow to another Risen. The mercenary was quicly joined by what appeared to be a myrmidon, a quick man who dashed around the platform, killing risen wherever he went.

Cynthia was so surprised by this turn of events that she didn't notice that another man had approached her as the others pushed the Risen back. "Hey! Are you all right?"

Cynthia turned and would have fallen over had she been upright. The man before her was dressed like priest, but his face reminded her of a bandit that had recently been cut by sword.

The priest noticed her reaction and dropped his gaze to the floor. "I know I aint the prettiest guy in the world but can you please stop staring. I just want to know if your hurt."

Cynthia finally recovered and answered, but found the answer to be somewhat redundant. "Yeah, I have an arrow in my shoulder!"

The man nodded and quickly went about his business. Cynthia gave a quick yelp as he seized the arrow and carefully pulled it out. After examining the wound, he took his staff and cast his healing magic. Her wound closed quickly. In moments, there was no sign she had ever been injured. She sat up, feeling slight soreness in her arm, before the priest helped her to her feet. She thanked him before walking a short distance away to recover her lance.

By this point the other two men had returned to find her holding her lance and struggling to bring her Pegasus back under control as she took a jar of concoction from her saddlebag and rubbed it into her mount's wounds, pay extra attention to the wing.

The mercenary approached her, a slightly stupid grin on his face. "A beautiful lady such as yourself shouldn't be in a place like this. When we get out of here, why I don't you and I go out and have a nice cup of tea?"

Cynthia was surprised to say the least. "Are you hitting on me?"

The blue haired man didn't have time to respond as it was at this moment that Morgan and Marc rejoined their sister.

"Are you all right sis?" Morgan asked worriedly.

"Yeah, I'm fine now. Thanks to these three." Cynthia's gaze changed from relief to admiration. "That was so HEROIC! Please, what are your names? I have to know!"

The three newcomers introduced themselves, Owain attempting to break into a dramatic speech, but was quickly silenced by Brady.

Cynthia smiled. "Thank you. Now I can get back to what I came here for."

Inigo looked at her, tilting his head to the side. "Why did you come here?"

She told them about how she had heard a rumor about the Tear of Naga, come looking for it and found her siblings in the process.

Morgan and Marc immediately nodded. "Ok then. Let's find that tear, Sis." The three siblings began to walk further into the ruins.

Owain turned to Inigo to see him staring at Cynthia's back as she walked away. He sighed. "You want to follow them don't you?"

Inigo smiled. "How can you see a woman like that and not follow them, Cousin?"

**A/N: Just a quick note. I am currently taking suggestions for what Robin's group should be called. Leave them in a review, and if I find one I like, I will use it. Also, 51 followers? Thank you all!**


	11. Chapter 11

South of the ruins of time

Robin's group, he still hadn't decided what to call them yet, was almost too where the ruins supposedly were. He was standing on a tall hill overlooking the plains north, but he couldn't focus on much. His hand kept sliding into his pocket to check on the box he had bought in town after acquiring the concoctions. He pulled it out and very carefully opened. Inside was a golden ring with a single red stone set into it. Robin had finally come to the conclusion that yes, he did love Sumia and she loved him as well. Now he was just trying to gather the courage to ask the famous question. Robin tried to summon the nerve to just do it, but eventually sighed and slipped the ring back into his pocket, hoping that maybe he could do it next time.

"Hey, Robin!" Called Alex's voice. "We found the entrance!"

Robin turned to where the voice had come from and called everyone over to it. He took a deep breath, drew Exellion, just in case, and led the way into the ruins. He was immediately hit by a wall of cold air. Most of Regna Ferox was cold, but this was like stepping out of a snowbank and jumping into a frozen lake. He shivered slightly, before continuing into the ruin's main chamber, everyone else following him.

They had been walking silently for a while, occasionally hearing someone slip and fall on the ice on the ground before they finally came to a set of giant double doors on the far side of the ruin.

"Ok, then." Robin stated. "If the tear was anywhere in these ruins it would be in here."

Everyone had been growing more and more anxious as they had traveled through the ruin. They were highly surprised to find it unguarded, expecting some sort of resistance to materialize at any moment. Robin turned to everyone, and they drew their weapons as he nodded. He approached the doors and gripped the giant handles, before letting out one last deep breath and giving the door a pull.

They moved easily, despite their massive size, opening to reveal a circular room on the other side. On the far side a group of figures turned to look at the door. Deciding to try to be diplomatic at first, Robin sheathed Exellion and took a few steps forward. One of the figures, the shortest, immediately dashed towards him.

Robin was ready for some kind of attack, but the last thing he expected was for the figure give him a tackling hug while crying "Father!" at the top of her lungs.

Robin was surprised so much he almost fell backwards onto his rear. "W-what?!"

The girl raised her head to look at him. "Dad, don't you see? It's me! Morgan?" Robin's face was blank. "Your daughter? Love of your life and daddy's little girl?"

Robin took a deep breath. He knew there was one possible explanation before he concluded that the girl was just insane. "Did you come from the future with Lucina?"

Morgan finally released her grip and took a step back. "What?"

Robin's companions took this as the opportunity to approach them, as did Morgan's.

Robin turned to Noire and Nah, a questioning look on his face.

"She's not one of our group." Nah stated, Noire nodding beside her.

Morgan was becoming more and more confused as the conversation continued. The look on her face was about two parts pain to one part fear.

Robin rubbed his temples. "Ok, can we please go outside and discus this somewhere else? I think my shoes are freezing to the floor."

Both groups nodded and the now much larger group turned and headed back out of the ruins.

After traveling a short distance into slightly warmer air, the two groups sat down facing each other. Morgan and Marc were the first to speak, as selected by Robin. They told him that all they could remember was that he was their father and apparently Cynthia was their sister. Robin asked Noire and Nah if they recognized any of them, resulting in the introductions of Brady, Owain and Inigo.

Robin looked Inigo in the eye for a moment before he noticed it. "You have the Brand." It was not a question.

Inigo blushed and looked away.

"You have the brand of the exalt in your eye, so either Lissa or Chrom is your parent. Judging from your hair colour, I would hazard a guess that Chrom is your father?"

Inigo nodded.

Robin sighed and turned his attention to Cynthia. "If Morgan and Marc are my children, and you're their sister, then that makes you my daughter as well?" This was actually a question.

Cynthia nodded quickly, a smile taking over her face. "Yep!"

Robin let out another deep breath. "Ok, before we move on, I have one last question for you."

Cynthia nodded again.

"Why don't the other children recognize you?" he asked.

Cynthia smiled again. "Become we're not from the same time as them."

Robin looked confused. "What?"

Cynthia took a stick and drew a diagram in the dirt. "The children you've met come from one timeline, where you weren't married and never had kids, but Morgan, Marc and I come from a different timeline altogether, where you married our mother and had us!"

Robin considered this for a moment before conceding. "Ok, I guess that makes sense."

Sumia was troubled as he raised a hand for attention. "I have a question."

Cynthia turned to her, a knowing smile creeping up her cheeks. "Yes?"

"Who is your mother?" Sumia asked, almost dreading the answer.

Cynthia raised her hand and pointed directly at Sumia. "You are."

Sumia was still for a moment, before her breath let out and her world went dark as she fell backwards off the log she had been sitting on.

Ruby was at her side in an instant, checking her over. "She's ok, she just fainted."

Robin let out another deep breath. "Ok." He stated, trying not to follow Sumia's example. He turned to Inigo and his group. "What are your plans?" he asked, needing a change in subject.

Inigo told him that they were heading back towards Ylisstol, but this brought about the question Robin had been dreading.

This was the third and hopefully final time Robin would be explaining why he wasn't with the shepherds. By the time he was done, it looked like Brady was on the verge of tears.

The priest wiped his eyes on his sleeve and stood up. "I-I don't wanna be part of a group that does this to its members!" He said through his tears. "I'm going with you!"

Owain was quick to join him. "Alas, the journey of this hero takes a new turn! I shall join you as well and together we shall-"He was cut off by Brady bursting into tears again with a loud sob.

Inigo seemed to be considering something as he turned to look at Cynthia. He continued looking at her for a moment before he turned back to Robin. "I think I will as well."

Cynthia looked slightly uncomfortable at this and shifted slightly. Before her father had shown up, Inigo had been trying to flirt with pretty much the whole time they had been in the ruin together.

Robin didn't seem to notice this, however and gave them a nod. "Welcome to the group."

Cynthia snapped her head to face him at this. "That's it? 'The group'? Don't you have a name for it?"

Robin shook his head. "No I don't, I've been trying to come up with one but haven't had any luck. "

Cynthia thought for a moment before her eyes lit up. "How about-"

Ylisstol

The Grimleal attack came as expected, and as expected, the shepherds had a massive advantage. The halidom might have been one of peace now, but the builders of the ancient city had apparently been thinking ahead. The countryside leading up to the capitol was slanted downward, with the city at the top of the hill and walls spreading down it to separate the districts. This gave the defenders an incredible defensive edge after the civilians had been evacuated into the center of the city, letting the army take charge of the rings.

The vanguard of the Grimleal were dead before they could get near the outermost wall as the defenders poured magic and arrows into their ranks. The enemy dark mages proved slightly more troubling, but were still dealt with rather quickly. Finally, when the Grimleal were divided and vulnerable, Chrom himself lead a charge out of the main gate, destroying the weak resistance that was left.

Chrom returned to the castle after the charge, knowing it would take a while for the Plegian's to regroup. He took refuge in his study, letting the tense muscles in his body finally relax to an extent. He smiled at the plans that Robin had sent, silently thanking his friend. He finally got up and left to check on the capitol's supplies, knowing that this was just the beginning.

Near the ruins of time

Robin thought about Cynthia's suggestion for a name for their group. "The Vincere Fati Army?"

His oldest nodded. "Yep! In a different language, I don't know which one, it means 'Overcome Destiny'. That's appropriate isn't it?"

Robin smiled at the hopeful look in his daughter's eye. "Yes. Yes it is.

The two of them were quickly joined by Cynthia's siblings and they spent quite a while discussing current events, including Robin's relationship with Sumia. The three of them almost burst into happy tears when he showed them the ring.

They were so absorbed talking to each other that they didn't notice a man in a black cloak hidden in the nearby woods as he opened a purple tome. "Found you." He said quietly as he smiled to himself.

**A/N: Special thanks to Lord of Carrion for the name suggestion. To everyone who left a review, you are awesome! **


	12. Chapter 12

Dragon's table

Aversa was gathering her equipment. She had received the exact location of Robin from the spy she had sent and was going to bring him to the Table.

She felt slightly sick as she considered what she was about to do. She knew that Validar wanted Robin alive, but he had never told her why. Why was he so important? Why did Master Validar devote so much energy to bringing him here?

Aversa sighed through her teeth as she mounted her black Pegasus. She had gathered a small group of skilled warriors to accompany her and they were waiting at the main gate for her to arrive. Her master had ordered Robin's capture, and she would follow his order, even if she didn't like it.

Port Ferox

The Vincere Fati Army set up their camp outside the city, their growing numbers preventing them from taking rooms at an inn. Robin was currently taking the time to examine his sword for damage or worn components, however he found very little. He was about to sheath the blade once more when he heard a cry from a nearby tent, followed by the sound of someone breaking into a run, before Owain was at his side, eyes glued on the sword.

"By the Lance of Ephraim, where did you get this!?" He cried.

Robin was slightly startled, but recovered quickly. "I got it from a friend in Ferox. Do you know anything about this sword?" The army had been traveling so much Robin hadn't had a chance to actually look up Exellion's past.

Owain nodded. "This sword was carried by a legendary warrior, her name lost to history. She was said to have received it as a reward from her god and wielded it in his name for many years. Eventually, this great warrior settled in the area we know as Regna Ferox and raised a family of her own. When her days were nearly done, she gave the sword to her eldest child. He accepted the blade and pledged to follow her example. However, the warrior's other children became jealous of the honor their sibling had been bestowed and attempted to steal the blade from him. Eventually, only the youngest remained alive, the others having all killed each other. She took the blade from her oldest sibling's dead hand, and pledged to never let it be misused."

Robin was shocked as he looked at the blade. The blade that had caused the destruction of an entire family. He was still for a moment, but then raised his eyes to look at the sky. "This blade has seen much blood, but I will put it to better use. It will never be a symbol of greed again."

He wasn't sure, but the sword seemed to feel lighter after he said it, almost as if it had heard him.

"Oh, so that's it!" came a voice. Robin looked up to find his son approaching them, a look on his similar to one he would get after figuring out a difficult riddle.

"Yes, Marc? What is it?" Robin asked him.

Marc's hand went inside his cloak and drew his own sword. "I know I got his from you, but I didn't know the story behind it!" In Marc's hand was a sword…..identical in every way the Exellion. Owain realized that this was personal and excused himself, leaving father and son alone.

Robin smiled. "So I gave it to you in the future?"

Marc nodded, smiling. "I'm just glad to be with you again." He spoke as he sat down beside his father.

Robin put a hand on the boy's shoulder. He might not know exactly how to be a father, but he was willing to make an effort. This line of thought brought him to another question. "Where are your siblings, anyway?"

Marc's mood deflated somewhat at this. "They were talking to…Sumia last I saw them."

Robin noticed the pause and change in tone. "Marc, what's wrong."

The boy lowered his head, his dark red hair flowing over his face. "It's nothing."

Robin didn't let the boy change the subject. "Marc, you're my son, no matter what time you come from. Please tell me what's wrong."

Marc sighed before answering. "It's Sumia. I know she's my mother in another time, but the way she reacted to finding out about me and my sisters…." Marc trailed off, not needing to continue.

Robin understood. "I get it. You want to talk to her, but are afraid that she's already rejected you."

Marc nodded, feeling tears begin to build in his eyes.

Robin put his hand on his son's head and gently turned it to look him in the eye. "Sumia was just surprised. Give her awhile and I know she'll accept you." Robin spoke with conviction, but also felt hope brewing in his chest as he remembered the ring he was going to give her.

Marc nodded before giving his father a quick hug. "Thanks dad.

With Sumia

Sumia sat on log nearby, listening to the two girls sitting opposite her. She knew she loved Robin and was hoping that they would be a family, but to go from that to having three kids after one trip to a ruin was a bit much to accept. She looked at Morgan, specifically her hair. It was the same colour as her own. The evidence was quickly piling up that, yes, these were her children and she was going to try to accept that.

Sumia had been silent for so long that Morgan finally couldn't stand it anymore. "Mother?" She asked. "Is something wrong?"

Sumia started slightly but caught herself quickly. "No, nothing's wrong. I'm just…"

Cynthia took it upon herself to finish her sentence. "You are just a little overwhelmed to suddenly have three grown children." She was smiling, but her eyes weren't joining in.

Sumia nodded sadly. "I'm sorry. I just need a little time. To get used to this."

Morgan nodded before asking a question she needed to know the answer too. "Can we still call you 'Mother'?"

Sumia's expression softened. "Of course."

Ylisstol

Stahl was settling in to his new position rather well. He had quickly learned the tasks that needed doing, when they needed to be done. He was at the moment standing on the gatehouse above the main road that entered the capitol. They were able to beat back the first wave of Plegian's fairly easily, but now that they knew a frontal assault wouldn't work, the Plegian's would obviously attempt something else. He turned to the commander of the guard at the gate.

"What do you think, Frederick?" He asked, the commander being none other.

Frederick was still for a moment before replying. "The Grimleal will come again, that much is certain, but they will try something other their sheer force to defeat us."

Stahl nodded before turning his attention back to the road. The tension between him and Frederick was hard to avoid, so he decided to attempt to defuse it.

"Frederick, do you have a problem with me taking your position?"

The other great knight was silent.

Stahl turned and looked the taller man in the eye. "Frederick, answer my question. That's an order." The words felt strange coming from his mouth, especially to Frederick, who had been a knight since before Stahl had joined the shepherds.

Frederick sighed and answered. "No. Should the need have arisen later, I would have been glad to hand my title over to you. But, truthfully speaking, I believe that this time Milord is not thinking clearly."

Stahl was not surprised. "You are referring to Robin."

Frederick nodded. "It might seem severe, but facts are facts. That man is the son of our enemy and has already shown that he couldn't be trusted in Plegia. He was controlled to do his father's bidding once, what stops that from happening again, or him joining Validar of his own accord?"

Stahl spun to look the other knight in the eye, glaring at him with all the anger he could muster. "You know that Robin would never do anything to harm us of his own accord! He left because almost everyone here wanted him dead. Even then, he offered his aid by sending those plans with me. He's one of my best friends! Do not question Robin's intentions, especially in front of me!"

Frederick was surprised, having never seen Stahl this passionate before. His gaze hardened. "Just wait. Your 'friend' will prove me right, sooner or later. If you will excuse me, I will return to my patrol."

Stahl took a deep breath and nodded. "You are dismissed."

As the blue armoured knight walked away, Stahl sighed. He knew Robin and his intentions, but he knew he would never be able to convince the others. He turned and looked back over the plains, contemplating the next step.

Port Ferox

Sumia sat inside her tent after the discussion with her children. She was still uncertain about how to interact with them, but she was learning quickly. Seeing Morgan's face drop had broken her heart and she had sworn to get used to the presence of the three alternate-time travelers.

"Sumia?" came a familiar voice from outside. She opened the tent to find Robin standing outside.

"Yes, Robin?" She asked.

"Could you please come with me? I wanted to talk to you about something."

Sumia considered, but found no reason to refuse the invitation. "All right. Where are we going?"

Robin smiled. "Just a short walk outside of camp." He offered her his arm and, blushing slightly, she accepted it.

After walking for a few minutes, they had arrived on a hill beside the camp that shielded it from the harshest of the wind. Robin seemed to be growing more and more flustered as they traveled. Eventually, Sumia had to ask.

"Robin, why are we out here?"

The red-haired man took a deep breath and turned to look her in the eye. "Sumia, I brought you out here because I finally found my courage."

Sumia had to laugh at that. "Robin, you are probably the bravest person I have ever met. Why would you be so flustered to be alone with me?"

Robin took a shaky breath. "Sumia, I…I've been thinking about….you a lot, actually. I see you every time I close my eyes and I can't imagine a life without you in it." His face was so hot he could have used to cook a steak, but it was too late to turn back. "Sumia, what I want to ask is..." He dropped to one knee and took the box out of his pocket. "Will you marry me?"

Sumia suddenly found it very hard to breath. She could feel her heart ready to burst as the tears flowed down her face.

"YES!" She cried out he slipped the ring onto her finger before pulling her new fiancé into a passionate kiss.

They could have stayed like that for hours, before Robin noticed something fast heading straight towards them. Instinctively, she threw Sumia to the ground.

Sumia was shocked at Robin's action and turned to look at him just in time to see a ball of dark magic smash against his chest, sending him sprawling.

"Well, well, well, aren't we romantic?" came a sultry voice.

Aversa descended from above, her hand still glowing with dark magic. Her Pegasus stomped fiercely on the ground, glaring at her with hard eyes.

Sumia turned to Robin, to find that he hadn't gotten up after Aversa had blasted him. She tried to get to her feet, but was knocked by down a swipe of the dark Pegasus's wing.

"Be a good girl and stay on the ground. He's not dead. Master Validar wants him alive." Aversa said as he mount jumped forward, landing beside Robin's fallen form as its rider reached over and pulled the limp body onto it. With not a backward glance at Sumia, Aversa's mount took to the sky again, heading south-east.

Sumia could only watch it go.


	13. Chapter 13

Outside Port Ferox

As soon as Sumia was able to get back on her feet, she was running back towards the camp, specificly the section where she had left her Pegasus to graze. However, when she approached, she saw the entire army fighting off a large group of Plegians. Now, she wasn't concerned, as the army wasn't having any trouble what so ever defeating the group, but they had been so distracted by the group's sudden appearance that they hadn't noticed Robin's absence.

Sumia ran to her mount and grabbed her tome. She had steadily come to prefer using magic to lances during the training sessions with Robin, and put the training to immediate use by bathing the few remaining Plegians in a stream of fire from above.

Everyone took a moment to check for anymore enemies nearby before they noticed the missing member.

Alex approached the issue first. "Does anyone see Robin anywhere?"

Sumia called everyone together and told them what had happened. She was a little hard to understand near the end, because tears had begun to form in her eyes. He hand covered the ring on her finger, as she had left Robin's proposal out of her story. There would be time for that later.

Her children looked shocked and were about to react when Alex silenced them with a loud clap.

"All right!" he began, everyone turning to him. "We know what we need to do! There's only one place they would take Robin. We need to head to the Table!"

Everyone nodded in agreement. Cynthia turned to find her mother, to reassure her, only to find that Sumia wasn't standing there anymore. She heard a sound rather like a Pegasus being mounted in a hurry and then felt a powerful gust of wind as Sumia's Pegasus carried her away, in the same direction that Aversa had been heading.

The dragon's table

Robin opened his eyes, feeling dazed. He had a vague memory of feeling something painful smash against his chest after throwing Sumia out of its way, but everything after that was a blank. He got to his feet and tottered slightly for a moment before bracing his hand on a pillar, shaking his head to clear it.

Robin had just regain clear thought and vision when a very familiar voice spoke.

"Welcome home, Son." Said Vaildar as he stepped out from behind the altar.

Robin's glare was so hard he was sure the Plegian king would have caught fire. His hand went to his belt. He felt slightly surprised to find his weapons were still there, but took little comfort in that. He knew what Validar could do to him.

Validar noticed this and smiled wickedly. "You're wondering why I let you keep your weapons. It's very simple. I know you won't use them."

Robin was shocked that Validar would make such a claim. "What makes you think that? Come closer and I'll show you how wrong you are."

Validar shook his, but his smile never faded. "Do try not to provoke me, Robin. You're too important to risk making me lose my temper."

Robin was shaking with anger at this point, but this might be his only opportunity to finally answer the question he had been asking himself since he left. "Why am I so important to you?"

Validar's laughter made Robin's skin crawl, but he didn't react as Validar spoke again. "I should probably start from the beginning then. You know the Grimleal and their worship of Grima, the Fell Dragon. What you most likely do not know is that the resurrection of Grima is not as simple as a simply desiring his return."

Robin was still as Validar continued, listening intently. He felt that he wouldn't like where this story was heading, but needed to know the answers to his questions.

"To return Grima to this world, we needed to gather some materials for the ritual, you might know it as 'the Awakening'?" the slight inflection on the last two words told Robin it was a question.

Robin considered for a moment before responding. "I know of it, but I thought that it was a ritual for the Exalted blood to summon Naga."

Validar cringed slightly at the name. "That is correct, but it also serves a different purpose. Just as the so called 'divine dragon' chose her champions, the exalted bloodline, the fell dragon has a chosen line as well. We refer to them as 'Fell bloods'."

Robin took a moment to absorb this. He had a sinking feeling about where this was going.

Validar's smile returned. "Yes, you and I are of the Fell bloodline. However, simply having Grima's blood is not enough. We also needed a source of power strong enough to perform the ritual."

Robin's eyes turned to the altar. "The Fire Emblem."

Validar nodded. "You learn quickly. Yes, we needed the emblem, but also one other tool. We needed a fell blood with a strong enough tie to Grima to serve as his vessel." As he said this, Validars eyes narrowed.

Robin's stomach lurched. "Oh god. You mean me."

Validar's smile could grow no bigger at this point. "Yes Robin. You are the chosen vessel, the result of centuries of hard work by the Grimleal. Your body is the only form since the Fell Dragon's defeat to be worthy of holding our master's spirit and awaken his true form." He took a step towards his son. "Our family has worked for so long to come to this moment, and now it is finally going to come to fruition."

Robin was shocked. His gaze was locked on the floor as he attempted to process what he was just told. "Me. I'm Grima? I'm the Fell Dragon?"

Validar took a step towards him. "Yes, you are. His soul slumbers within you, and now it is time to awaken you both." When Validar was close enough, he put his hand on his son's shoulder. "Come, my son, all you have to do is touch the emblem, and it will all be over."

Validar waited patiently for Robin to move. He was finally finished, the quest for a perfect vessel completed. As soon as Robin touched the emblem, the Fell Dragon would return to the world and finish what he had started before the first Exalt's meddling.

Validar was so focused on what was to come, he didn't notice a sudden movement out of the corner of his eye until it an incredible pain spread though his arm. Shocked, he turned his head.

Robin had driven Exellion though his shoulder.

The grandmaster took the initiative and pulled his blade out, coming into a spin with the weapon angled at the sorcerer's throat.

Validar spun away, his expression a mix of shock and anger. "Why?" His voice was quiet and full of malice.

Robin leveled his blade at Validar's heart. "I am not Grima. I am Robin, grandmaster of the Vincere Fati Army, and I make my own choices." His tone dropped. "And I choose to kill you and end this madness." The grandmaster charged.

Validar was quick to respond, summoning dark magic in his uninjured hand while his wounded one hung limply. "You cannot escape it! That's why it's called fate!" The dark magic collided with Exellion, halting its progress and forcing Robin to retreat a short distance.

The Grandmaster smirked at Validars claim. "Really? Well, I have come to a new conclusion." He pulled out his tome and fired a sphere of flame at the Plegian king. "Fate is just the result of circumstances and circumstances can be changed."

Validar countered the flames with his own magic. His vision was turning red. "No! I won't let you throw away generations of effort!" He screamed as his dark magic healed his wound. He thrust his hand towards his son. "You will obey me, Robin!"

Robin froze, feeling the same magic he had in Plegian castle only weeks before. He felt it attempt to take control of his body, to make him move towards the altar.

Robin grit his teeth. He focused as hard as he could on his hand, forcing it closed into a fist. Focusing entirely on that one bit of control, he didn't move. Slowly, the magic faded.

Validar was shocked, his eyes narrowing. "Your time away from the servants of Naga has hardened your will." Validar drew Grima's Truth from his robes. Subduing Robin would be harder then he thought.

Ylisstol

Chrom was in his chamber, putting on his armour, ready to counter the Plegian attack once again. They had apparently decided to attempt to overwhelm the capital once again, but this time bringing a large number of Risen with them. He was about to hurry to the gate when a messenger crashed through the door.

"Milord!" She began. "I bring news of the Plegian attack.

Chrom turned to her, surprised. "What has happened?"

"The enemy had withdrawn, sir!" the scout told him. "They are retreating back to Plegia as we speak.

Chrom as shocked, but had to recover quickly. He knew what needed to be done. "Spread the word to the army. We march on the Dragon's Table as soon as possible. This might be our only chance to recover the emblem."

The scout saluted and rushed off.

Chrom sighed and turned to his bed, sitting on the side. He knew everyone would be ready in mere minutes, but he sincerely hoped he wasn't making a mistake.


	14. Chapter 14

Dragon's Table approach

Sumia was hurrying towards the table without a backwards glace. She was pushing her Pegasus almost too it's breaking point, but it seemed to know why she was so desperate to reach the temple. Sumia stoked its mane and spoke soft words of encouragement to her mount as it carried with renewed confidence. Finally, Sumia burst through the last cloud and the Table came into view.

The temple itself looked rather depressing, a dark tower full of windows that gave off purple light. Sumia was certain that Robin was somewhere inside.

However, before she could begin to approach the temple to rescue her fiancé, the path in front of her suddenly filled with dark magic, preventing her from going forward. Startled, Sumia's Pegasus flew backwards a few meters.

"Well, this is a surprise." Came a familiar voice as Aversa brought her Pegasus down. She had been hiding in the low clouds, watching for intruders as Validar had ordered her.

Sumia reached for one of her tomes, selecting the Arcwind that Robin had insisted she buy.

Aversa gave a low chuckle at this. "Come now, little girl. Do you really think you're a match for me?" Her tone was mocking.

Sumia started channeling magic into her hand before launching a large blast of wind at the other woman.

Aversa didn't even try to dodge, just raised her hand and deflected the spell with one of her own. "Well okay then. If that's how you want to be." Aversa drew her Goetia tome and took aim at Sumia.

Sumia barely had time to get her Pegasus to dive out of the way before the strongest magic she had ever seen flew over her head. The ball of dark energy flew past her with only centimeters of clearance before crashing into the ground, leaving a crater the size of a house.

Sumia was visibly shaken by this display, but had to keep her Pegasus moving to avoid Aversa's attacks. As she avoided another, she returned fire with another blast of Arcwind, forcing Aversa to stop charging her current spell and move to the side. The two Pegasus riders were about to continue when a colossal explosion came from the Table.

Sumia turned to see that a large section of wall on the upper level had been completely destroyed, rubble raining everywhere.

Aversa smirked. "It seems father and son are getting acquainted." Her attention returned to Sumia. "But don't worry, you won't have to live to see the result!" She fired another Goetia, but was once again avoided my Sumia's incredibly fast mount.

Sumia had decided that this type of combat was not to her advantage and took a different approach. She changed her mount's course, this time going away from the table, Aversa following right behind, still throwing spells.

Sumia responded in kind, sending another Arcwind at her opponent. This time, Aversa had been charging another spell and was unable to counter the wind magic. The force of the blast sent her Pegasus flailing back and almost made it fall to the ground before it righted itself.

Aversa glared at Sumia, her eyes filled with anger.

Inside the Dragon's Table

Robin dove to the side as Validar sent another blast of dark magic towards him. After avoiding another blast, he sprinted back towards the sorcerer, drawing Exellion.

The Plegian king caught the blade in his magic once more, holding it there to look Robin in eye once more. His gaze was filled with hate and anger at the grandmaster. His purpose for being born was to allow Grima into his body, so why now does he rebel against it?

Robin spun away, pulling his sword out of the magic and holding out his other hand as it held his tome, releasing a stream of fire.

This time, Validar failed to bring his magic up in time to block the flames, receiving a serious burn across his torso, the shock making him lose his grip on Grima's Truth. Robin didn't take any chances. With a swift kick, he sent the tome spinning away, resulting in to coming to rest a dozen meters away.

Robin turned to Validar, who had fallen to his knees after he had been hit by Robin's spell. The grandmaster shook his head. "I expected more from you. I was sure you would offer more of a challenge, but is this is the best you can do?"

He heard the sound of a warp spell being cast directly behind him and turned, expecting to see a room full of Grimleal. Instead, his gaze was met with a smirk, by a man who wore a similar cloak to the one he had on at that very moment.

"I agree." The other Robin spoke, his gaze lowering to the fallen Validar. "I expected more from you."

Validar did something Robin never expected to see. His eyes filled with fear and he practically threw himself at the double's feet. "My lord! Please forgive me, I have failed you."

The other Robin nodded, his face neutral. "Yes, you did."

Validar looked like he was going to speak again, only for his body to suddenly explode with dark magic. His scream of pain was like a beast's as he convulsed with agony.

The other Robin didn't even blink. "Oh, shut up!" He snapped, his gaze hardening. "You know the price of failure, now be a good little Grimleal and die for your lord."

Validar's blacken corpse made no reply.

The double's gaze settled on Robin for the first time since he arrived.

"Well, Robin. Why did you make this necessary?" His tone wasn't angry, only mildly irritated.

Robin held Exellion in front of him. "Who are you, really?"

The other Robin shook his head, exasperated. "I told you before, I'm Robin."

The ghost of a smile appeared on his face as he continued. "The Robin that became the Fell Dragon."

Robin was still for a moment before everything clicked in his head. "You're the me from the future. The one Validar controlled into accepting Grima's power."

Future Robin shook his head. "Your half right. I did murder Chrom in the future and set the world to ruin, however, everything I did was of my own accord. Validar opened the gate, but I chose to enter it."

Robin's blood went cold. His mind connected the dots very quickly. "What? How could you do that?!" he demanded, feeling his grip on Exellion tightening.

Future Robin shrugged disinterestedly. "It was easy actually. With both their leader and grandmaster removed from the field, the shepherds were unable to mount any kind of successful defense against me." His gaze turned hard. "However, that's not important now." He took a step towards Robin, his hand glowing purple. "All I need you to do is touch the emblem and accept my Grima's power. Then, he and I can become one, and my full power will be restored, at last…."

Robin shook his head defiantly. "I will never do anything of the sort. I am not Grima."

The future Robin's hard gaze returned. "Very well then." He held out his hand, and Robin's vison was filled with purple light.

Outside the table

Sumia and Aversa continued their battle, sending spell back and forth, neither able to gain the upper hand. Eventually, however, Sumia made a mistake and was trapped between two cliffs with no room to maneuver. She turned to find Avera preparing another Goetia spell and she looked at her, her eyes so full of anger they almost glowed. However, before the white haired woman could release the spell, Sumia saw something fast approaching her from behind. She smiled when she recognized the dark red ponytails sticking out of its head.

Cynthia dove into Aversa from behind, driving her lance at the other rider. Aversa was startled but recovered quickly. She was about to release the spell at the new target when her mount suddenly lurched to the side to avoid an incoming arrow barrage.

The Vincere Fati army had finally caught up to Sumia. Ruby and Noire held their bows tightly as they fired arrow after arrow at the black mounted Pegasus rider.

Aversa's expression was one of absolute fury, but she was not to the point of stupidity. She dispersed her spell and, triggering some kind enchantment, was warped away.

Sumia let out a sigh of relief as she and Cynthia landed their mounts to rejoin the others.

Alex approached her, his expression one of concern. "Are you all right?"

Sumia nodded, letting out a shaky breath. "Let's go. Robins in there somewhere!"

The entire army turned and ran towards the temple doors. Sumia was the first inside, followed closely by her children.

Alex was going to follow when a sound caught his attention. A sound similar to the sound of a large group advancing towards them. Looking back across the plains, he was greeted with the sight of the front ranks of the Plegian army advancing towards the Table, weapons drawn.

Alex turned to the rest of the army, they had turned and saw the Plegians approach as well. He quickly assessed the situation and called to everyone else. "Change of plans. While Sumia and her kids find Robin, the rest of us deal with the Plegians." He said as he drew his weapons. Everyone followed his example and grouped together, Brady and Ruby in the back ready to heal anyone who was injured.

Alex took a deep breath and held his sword and axe tightly as the Plegians began their charge.


	15. Chapter 15

East of the Dragon's Table

Chrom barely noticed the terrain as the Shepherds marched towards the Table. He knew that soon, the retreating Plegians would take notice of their pursuit. He was greatly surprised that they hadn't already, or that they had, and weren't bothered by it.

"Father, the scouts have returned." Came the voice of Lucina. Chrom nodded and the scout approached.

"What do you have to report?" His tone was level.

The scout began his report. "Sir, the Plegians have reached the Dragon's table, however, they were not the first."

Chrom was supprised to hear that. "What you mean?"

"There was another group already at the table when the Plegians arrived. They are engaged in combat as we speak."

Chrom drew Falchion. "Any enemies of the Grimleal are friends of ours. We need to help them. How far?"

"They are visible from over that ridge, sir." The scout pointed to a ridge several hundred meters away.

Chrom and Lucina quickly climbed the ridge and looked down at the plains below them.

The Plegians they had been pursuing had reached the Table, but were met with resistance from an unknown group. They appeared to be well-trained as the Plegian army was having little luck in overpowering them.

Chrom was about to order the Shepherds to assist when he noticed Lucina's expression. She had a strange look on her face as she caught sight of a mercenary fighting a group of Plegians.

"You know him?" he asked his daughter.

Lucina nodded slowly. "His names Inigo. He's my younger brother."

Chrom was surprised she had never mentioned him before, but recovered quickly. He turned to his army. "Shepherds, we must assist them!"

The army charged down the ridge and across the plains.

Inside the Table.

Robin felt his body smash against a very hard surface after being hit by his double's attack. Shakily, he got back to his feet, his future self didn't move as he build up another spell in his right hand. Robin threw himself to the side as the spell destroyed the pillar he had been leaning on. Quickly, Robin flipped open his tome and sent a stream of fire at his opponent, bathing him in flame. The double didn't even seem to notice. He launched his dark magic straight through the flames, forcing Robin to dive out of the way for the second time.

The future Robin didn't seem particularly interested in finishing Robin quickly. He just kept shooting more and more magic from his hand, keeping Robin on the defensive. However, after Robin had avoided a spell to get close to his future and swung his blade, the future Robin moved incredibly quickly. One moment he was about to receive a sword cut to the throat, the next he was several feet away charging more spells. Robin let out a snarl of frustration and jumped to the side again.

The double pressed in on Robin, this time with a smirk of contempt on his face as he drew a sword from his waist while fireing magic from his other hand. Unlike Robin, he didn't have Exellion, instead pulling out the silver sword Robin had been using before acquiring his new blade. The future Robin suddenly jumped forward, swinging the sword faster than anyone Robin had ever seen. He was barely able to spin to the side and avoid the hit. The future Robin, however, wasn't finished yet. After missing his first swing, he used the momentum to keep going, launching into a barrage of quick attacks.

Robin was able to parry one of the blows and hold him there, pressing Exellion against the silver sword. Then quickly, pulled away, forcing his future self off balance long enough to deliver a glancing blow to his opponents' arm, drawing blood.

The future Robin looked at his arm in something resembling disgust. He turned to Robin once more, however, this time something had changed. His body was radiating a purple aura, extending several feet around him. The aura traveled down his sword, which he leveled at Robin's chest. When he spoke, his words were slightly distorted, almost as if the thing speaking wasn't human.

"Enough of these games."

Outside the table

Alex had thought he was going to die several times already as the Grimleal pressed in on the army. He was currently fighting alongside Donnel and they cut their way through the ranks, occasionally switching to his tome to cook a few heavily armoured enemies in their own armour. However, he knew that couldn't keep this up. They were already separated from the group and couldn't even see them through the crowd of Plegians that pressed in on them.

Alex swung his axe in a wide arc in front of him as the Plegians continued to advance, bringing down several of their light armoured berserkers. Using the opening he had created, Alex and Donnel pushed through the crowd before they could recover, arriving back at the doors into the Table. He saw everyone's current condition. Ruby and Brady hung behind the others, shooting out healing spells as needed. Next to them were Noire and Nah, one firing arrows into the sky to disperse the Plegian Wyvern riders, the other in the form of a pink dragon that breathed it's fire into groups of Plegians. Inigo and Owain had taken up a position in front of the others, swinging their swords so fast it was amazing their arms hadn't been flung off their bodies. Alex and Donnel took up position alongside them.

Before the Plegians could charge again, however, a shudder ran through their ranks. Alex and his friends took the initiative and counter-charged the distracted Plegians. As they attacked, Alex saw that the Plegians were also being attacked from the far side by another army. This one was led by a man in very reflective armour wielding a strange sword. His hair was the same colour as Inigo's.

After only a few moments under the combined assault, the Plegians scattered, leaving nothing resembling an army in the mad attempt to escape. Both armies took a moment to regroup before turning to each other questioningly.

The blue haired man approached them. Beside him was a young woman with similar hair. Seeing her, Inigo joined Alex at the front of the group.

"Hello." Greeted Alex, uncertain as to how to proceed. "Might I ask who you are?"

The blue haired man turned to him. His expression was neutral, as if he was dealing with a foreign ambassador. "I am Chrom, Exalt of Ylisse and Commander of the Shepherds. Now, who are you?"

Alex recognized his titles and crossed his arms. "Shepherds." He began. "Robin told me about you lot."

Chrom's expression changed several times, very quickly. First to shock that these people knew who Robin was, then hope that they might know where his friend was. "You know Robin?!"

Alex nodded. "Yes. He's our leader."

Chrom's hopeful look didn't change. "Where is he?"

Alex turned to the Table. "In there. He was captured by some Plegian commander and brought here. We came to rescue him. Come to think of it, Sumia should have found him by now."

Chrom immediately bolted for the door, Lucina, Alex and Inigo right behind him.

They found Sumia and her kids attempting to open a massive door, sealed with a heavy lock. One swipe from Chrom's Falchion, and the lock was neatly cut in two, rendering the door unsealed. Quickly, Sumia flung it open.

The sight inside almost stopped her heart.

In front of the altar, one hand on the Emblem, was a Robin, glowing with a bright purple aura.

And on the other side of the room, was another Robin, lying in a spreading pool of his own blood.

Sumia and her kids rushed to the fallen Robin while the others advanced towards the Robin at the altar. He turned, but his face showed no fear. Instead he was smiling, his aura growing brighter.

"So" he spoke, his voice possessing more of an echo then anyone elses. "You've arrived, Exalted brat."

Chrom held Falchion ready as he stepped forward.

This sparked a round of laughter from the future Robin. "It seems you're just as foolish in this world as you were in mine. There's nothing you can do here. Any of you!" He swept his arm towards the group and released a blast of magic, sending everyone sprawling backwards.

Chrom was the first on his feet, followed by Alex.

The Future Robin's smile grew. He took his hand off of the emblem and turned his whole body to face then. "It's too late, humans. My ritual is complete." As he spoke, his aura grew brighter. "My reign begins once more!"

As he spoke, the aura suddenly exploded upwards, covering him in a pillar of light. Everyone in the room bolted for the door as the table shook, knowing that it was too dangerous to stay. Sumia and Cynthia carried Robin between to the two of them.

Once they had arrived outside, they were engulfed in a colossal shadow as above them, a mighty roar boomed across the land, heralding the return of the Fell Dragon.


	16. Chapter 16

Ylisstol

Robin's whole body ached as he slowly regain consciousness. He was lying on something considerably softer then stone, and he didn't feel like he was losing many more blood. Groaning, he opened his eyes and sat up.

He was in his old quarters in the Ylisstol Palace. The place was just as he had left it, his desk still piled with books that looked to be a slight nudge from falling over. As He got to his feet, a small surge of pain shot though his chest. Looking down, he was hardly surprised by what he saw.

His torso was bisected with a very large scar. It started on his left shoulder, and ended just below his stomach. Looking at it, Robin wondered how he was still alive. The scar didn't hurt, but he found that moving the wrong way would sent a slight pain though his body.

Sighing, Robin turned to his closet, finding his clothes were still there. Pulling on a new shirt and donning his usual cloak, Robin turned to the door.

The door had barely begun to open when something on the far side smashed against it, flinging it open and crashing into him, knocking him to the floor. Looking down, he saw Cynthia clinging to his chest, crying and smiling and thanking Naga he was alright.

Eventually, Cynthia calmed down a bit, but still had a large grin pasted to her face.

"How did we get here?" Robin asked his daughter.

"Well, after what happened at the Table, we couldn't stay in Plegia. The Exalt asked us to bring you here and we didn't have any other options at the time." Cynthia replied, her good mood dying down a bit.

Robin raised an eyebrow and folded his arms. "Chrom asked you bring me here?"

"Yes, I did." Came a familiar voice from the doorway.

Robin turned to find his friend entering the room and smiling. "It's good to have you back Robin."

Robin's look darkened slightly. "I wish I could say it was good to be back." He turned his attention to the doorway behind the Exalt. "Lucina, come out! I know you're there."

The blue haired women stepped into the room, looking slightly nervous. Robin noticed she didn't have her Falchion hanging on her belt, which he found confusing.

Chrom noticed Robin's expression. "I told her that if she wanted to come with me to see you, she had to leave her sword and lance behind. I didn't want a repeat of last time." He shook his head.

Robin nodded. "Good."

Chrom walked over and took a seat at the table, everyone else joining him. Eventually, Chrom spoke. "Robin, I need to ask you some questions-"

Robin held up his hand to silence his friend. "I know what you're going to ask, and I know how to answer. So let's get this over with."

Robin told them everything that had happened since he left, how he had met his companions, what they had done and finally, what had happened at the Table. He had left out his proposal to Sumia, and didn't mention who Cynthia, Morgan and Marc were, just that he had met them in the Ruins of Time.

Chrom was shocked by what he had heard. "So that man who looked like you…?"

Robin nodded. "Yes he was the me from Lucina's time. He tried to force me to become Grima, like he did, but I chose not to. Apparently, that made him want me dead." He looked down at his shirt, remembering the scar underneath.

Lucina had been silent up till that point, but now she spoke, glaring at Robin. "So it is your fault."

Cynthia suddenly got to her feet, her chair clattering to the ground behind her. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! You can't hold my father responsible for something he didn't do! He almost died trying to prevent this from happening!"

Lucina's glare didn't waver, but a moment after the outburst, she got up quietly and left the room.

Cynthia was shaking with anger at the princess's accusation. "I'll go tell the other's your awake, Father." She quickly left the room.

Chrom turned to Robin, who had his face in his palm. "Father?"

Robin sighed. There was no point in denying it now. "Yes. Cynthia, Morgan and Marc are my children from…..a future, I guess is the best way of describing it."

Chrom looked slightly hurt. "Why didn't you tell me before?"

Robin shook his head. "Think about it Chrom. Most of the Shepherds want me dead for killing you in the future, and now I have three kids. I didn't what them to become targets."

Chrom nodded. "Alright, I get it." He sighed once more. "Robin, you need to know-"

"He became Grima, didn't he?" Robin interrupted again.

Chrom was taken aback. Robin had never talked to him in such a tone before. "What?"

Robin looked Chrom in the eye. "My future self. He became Grima? Answer my question, please."

Chrom was still for a moment, then nodded. "Yes he did."

Robin looked down at the table. "And the Emblem?"

Chrom smiled slightly. "Your son grabbed it as we made our way out. He gave it to me once we were safe."

Robin looked at through his eyebrows. "So what the hell are you doing here?"

Chrom was startled again, but this time recovered quickly. "What do you mean?"

Robin gritted his teeth. "Why are you still in the capital, when you need to be on Mount Prizm to perform the Awakening? Don't look at me like that. I did my research after you mentioned it the first time."

Chrom sighed again. "Robin, I'm still here because I need you. Your tactics are needed now more than ever. Please, help me."

Robin sighed. "Fine. I might not want to help your little group, but I refuse to let the world meet its end because they hurt me."

Chrom smiled. "Let's go then."

Robin and Chrom left the room and made their way to the Shepherd's garrison. The Vincere Fati Army was there as well. Alex, Ruby and Sumia stayed in the corner, not willing to mingle with the Shepherds, but the children were all siting with their parents, happily chatting away with them. Chrom stepped up onto the platform at the end of the room.

"Sheperds!" he began, his voice loud enough to silence everyone in the room. "I know you are anxious and have every right to be! The Fell Dragon has returned, some of us have faced this before and know what's at stake. However, I also have some good news. Our Grandmaster has returned. His tactics will see us through these difficult times, and we will emerge victorious!"

The expected rallying cry failed to resonate.

"HE ABANDONED US!" someone yelled. "HOW CAN WE TRUST HIM?!"

From his seat, Frederick smirked.

Robin could deal with people saying many things, but this crossed his line. He stepped onto the platform and locked eyes with the speaker.

"I abandoned YOU?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" Everyone in the room was taken aback, having never heard Robin speak this way before. "I planned the attack on Plegia and Valm! I protected you on the battle field, risking my own life more often than not! Then, you ALL turned your backs on me for something I DIDN'T EVEN DO! I am more then willing to plan your attack on Grima, however, if you don't want my help, I can leave again, and leave you facing the dragon without a Grandmaster, and I think a few people would come with me if I left." From where they stood, Alex, Ruby, Donnel and Robin's family nodded. "Make your decision, and live with the consequences!" With that, Robin turned and left, leaving everyone stunned.

Several hours later

Robin had recovered his weapons from Chrom and was preparing to leave with everyone else for Mount Prizm. Appently, his outburst in the garrison had been enough to make most of them rethink what had happened and how they had acted, but he still felt a surge of anger when he thought about them.

He felt a hand land on his shoulder and turned to find Sumia there. Before he could say a word, she had wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into a tight embrace. She was shaking slightly, as if she was about to burst into tears.

"I-I th-thought you were going to die!" she spoke, tears finally gliding down her cheek.

Robin embraced her back. "It's alright, Sumia. I'm fine."

She shuddered a few more times before her lips found his. They stayed like that for a few moments, but eventually, Sumia pulled away and left to prepare her mount.

Robin turned back to his horse, tying everything down securely. This time however, he didn't feel angry. He felt calm, knowing that Sumia still cared for him, even knowing his lineage. He looked over and saw his children preparing their equipment as well. He smiled at them before mounting his horse, ready for the road ahead.


	17. Chapter 17

Mount Prizm

Robin and the armies arrived at the base of the mountain after only a few days travel. However, the evenings with the groups were rather difficult. The two groups had different camps, a short distance away from each other, but this hadn't stopped a few incidents between the two groups.

Vaike had had a few too many drinks and took a swing at Alex, who had responded in kind. Fortunately, Lissa and Ruby were able to break the two up before things could escalate past that.

Ruby had caught Tharja attempting to sneak into the Vincere Fati camp. The two had exchanged a few words before Tharja had attempted to curse Ruby. However, one word from Robin was all it took for her to remove the curse and return to the Shepherds camp. Of course, that didn't stop her from glaring over her shoulder at the former mercenary as she left.

Eventually, the two armies arrived at the top of the mountain, finding it swarmed by a group of Risen. They were well armed and had good numbers on their side, but couldn't stand up to the combined might of the two armies.

During the battle, Chrom caught sight of Robin fighting and was slightly surprised. Robin's movements were much faster than they had been before they left, and his attacks had a ferocity behind them he never seen before. The grandmaster pulled his tome from his pocket and, using the last of its power, bathed the last of the Risen in a stream of fire.

Letting out a breath, Chrom sheathed Falchion and approached his friend. "Robin, are you all right?"

Robin turned to the Exalt. "Fine. Why?"

"You never fought like that before. Your style has changed and you're more aggressive in battle then before." Chrom responded, concern in his voice.

Robin's eyes turned hard. "So I don't fight like a Ylissian anymore. I say good riddance."

Chrom's eyes widened. "What do you mean?" He was almost afraid of the response.

Robin's eyes stabbed into Chrom's. "I mean, Lord Exalt, that after this is over, I'm gone. I'm turning my back on all of this!" he swung his arm in front of him in a cutting gesture to emphasize his point.

Robin turned and left before Chrom could recover from his shock.

Everyone eventually regrouped and continued their climb up to the summit of the mountain. Sumia rode on her Pegasus, Robin mounted behind her. For the first time in days, she felt happy. Robin was fine and soon they would be able to defeat the Fell Dragon and put an end to all of this. Her attention went to her hand, remembering the ring she still wore under her glove.

Eventually both armies reached the doors to the temple. Robin and Chrom were the first to enter, followed by Lucina and Sumia. Everyone else stayed outside to guard the entrance.

Once they had entered the main chamber, Chrom stepped up to the altar, placing the Emblem upon it. Laying his hand on it, he spoke.

"Hear me, Naga! In the name of the Exalted blood, I ask for the Divine Dragon's power. Baptize me in fire, so I may become your true son!" As soon as he had finished speaking, the emblem began to glow. Then, without warning, Chrom's body was covered in a searing hot flame, originating from the emblem. Robin and the others could feel the heat from where they stood. Then just as quickly, the flames died, Chrom dropping to one knee from the pain.

Above the emblem, stood the form of the Divine Dragon. When she spoke, her voice was calm and soothing, her attention on the kneeling Exalt.

"Hear me, Awakener. Your heart has been tested and deemed worthy."

Chrom's expression was one of relief. "So you will give me the power to destroy Grima?"

Naga's expression changed slightly, becoming more apologetic. "No, I'm afraid destroying the Fell Dragon is beyond my power. I can only bind him to his slumber once more."

Chrom was shocked. "There has to be some way to end this cycle. There has to be a way to defeat Grima for good!"

Naga made eye contact with the Exalt for the first. "There is one power that could destroy the Fell Dragon, however, it would be his own. And he would never do so of his own accord."

Chrom's head dropped. "All right then. I guess this is our only choice then. Where is Grima now?"

Naga's gaze turned to the west. "There is volcano to the far west. It is known as Origin peak. You can find the Fell Dragon there."

Chrom drew Falchion and held it before him. "Thank you, Milady. We will finish this." As he spoke, Naga held a hand over Falchion. It's blade began to glow, and the opening in the center was filled with an orb of light.

With this completed. The group turned and began to leave. Robin, however, stayed behind for a moment.

"Robin, what are you doing?" Asked Chrom, looking confused.

"Go ahead. I just have a few questions for the Divine Dragon." Robin replied, perking Naga's interest.

Chrom turned and went to Robin's side. "If your staying, so am I." He spoke with conviction.

Robin's gaze hardened. "Chrom, this is personal. Please, leave. And don't let anyone else in."

Chrom was surprised at Robin's tone, but chose to accept his friend's request, rejoining Lucina and Sumia outside.

Robin approached Naga, his eyes never leaving hers.

"What questions do you have, Fell Blood?" The Divine Dragon asked.

Robin flinched at the name. "So you know of my lineage?"

Naga smiled softly. "You possess power not so different from my own."

Robin took a deep breath. "You said that only Grima's own power could destroy him?"

Naga tilted her head slightly. "Yes, I did. It is the truth."

Robin was silent for a few moments before speaking again. "What if we had way of wielding Grima's power?"

Naga looked confused for a moment before she smiled with realization. "You are correct. You possess Grima's power as well. If you were to deal the final blow, the Fell Dragon would be destroyed forever."

Robin smiled. "I thought so."

Naga's expressed turned serious. "However, this method is not without cost. Your heart is tied to Grima's. Slaying him would lead to your own death as well."

Robin's smile fell. "I thought it would be something like that, but I see no other choice. When we face Grima, I will be ready."

Naga smiled again. "I wish you luck, Fell Blood. May you find success."

With that last exchange, Robin turned and left.

As soon as he left the altar room, Chrom immediately approached him. "What did you ask Naga about?"

Robin turned to Chrom. "I know how to defeat Grima for good." He filled Chrom in, leaving out the fact that Robin would die in the process.

Chrom smiled. "Alright. Let's get moving then."

The pair left the temple together.

The armies traveled for several more days until they reached the coast, Naga's spirit accompanying them.

Robin was currently watching his children spare with wooden weapons, a smile on his face as he watched Marc avoid Cynthia's spear and land a blow to her shoulder.

His smile fled quickly as he remembered what he was about to do. It hurt to know he was leaving them, but he couldn't let Grima return, no matter the cost.

He turned to find Sumia approaching him, a look of concern on her face. "Robin, what's wrong?"

Robin sighed and took her hand leading her away from the group. They eventually stopped on a hill overlooking the two camps. After a few moments of silence, Robin spoke. "Sumia, Naga told me that I can destroy Grima because of my link to him."

Sumia was confused. "Yes, I know, you told me yourself after you met with her."

Robin shook his head, sighing. "What I didn't tell you is that doing so will kill me. My link to Grima is too strong to break."

"That is correct, Fell Blood." Naga's voice spoke, startling the couple. "However, there is a chance you could survive. Your heart is bound to many others in this world. If those ties are strong enough, they may yet keep you alive. I do not wish to give you false hope, however. You will almost certainly die should you do this." Then as quickly as the voice had come, it was gone.

Sumia was still for a moment before turning to her fiancée. Her voice was shaking, but she was able to speak. "I know you will return. I know our bonds are strong enough." She wrapped the Grandmaster in a tight embrace. "I love you." Her voice was quiet, barely a whisper.

Robin smiled and returned the embrace. "And I love you."

They stayed there for the rest of the night.


	18. Chapter 18

The armies boarded several ships to take them to Origin Peak. They were done rather quickly, with only a day's worth of travel ahead, since they had a strong tailwind. Robin was currently sparing with Alex on the deck, not so much to train, rather to give them something to do as they waited.

Robin's swordplay had improved incredibly since he had left. Even he could see that as he performed another attack. Alex was having a hard time parrying Robin's blows, but the grin on his face as they fought didn't waver.

Finally, Robin landed a blow to Alex's shoulder, causing the taller man to double forward for a moment, allowing Robin to deliver the final blow to Alex's chest.

"I yield." Said Alex as he got back up.

Robin walked to the side of the ship and set his training sword against the side. In the distance, he could see the dark shape of Origin Peak growing closer by the second. Robin tried to swallow the lump that built up in his throat when he thought about what he was going to do.

Robin sighed and walked to his hammock. They wouldn't arrive at the island for another day, so he might as well get some sleep.

Origin Peak

The ships deposited the armies on the shore of the island. However, they found their progress blocked by another army of Grimleal, with Aversa at its head.

Sumia turned to Robin. Robin read the look on her face and nodded. "She's all yours."

Sumia mounted her Pegasus and took to the air, matching Aversa's height.

"Well, here's a surprise." The white haired woman spoke sarcastically. "So, little girl. Are you ready to die?"

Sumia didn't answer with words, instead she charged her new Thoron tome and sent a beam of lightning at Aversa.

The white haired women lurched to the side and responded with her Goetia, sending a huge bolt of darkness speeding towards Sumia. Sumia's mount dove to avoid the attack as Sumia fired another Thoron. This one hit Aversa's mount knocking it back. Aversa released a cry of anger before she spoke again.

"You've improved, little girl." Her voice was full of hate.

Far below them, the armies had pushed forward and the Grimleal were attempting to halt their advance, but having little luck. Robin was himself leading the push up the west valley with the Vincere Fati army, while the Shepherds were attacking the east. Every now and then, Robin would glance up at the sky, watching Sumia for a moment before returning to his battlefield.

Sumia was now firing Thoron in rapid succession, forcing Aversa to dodge them. However, every few shots, the other woman's slower mount would fail and take a hit from the lightning.

Aversa responded to Sumia's attacks by firing another Goetia, her rage growing as Sumia dodged it.

Sumia smiled to herself for a moment. She had known she had grown stronger since traveling with Robin, but she hadn't considered how much stronger she had become. Considering the gulf between her and Avsera last time they had fought and now, she knew she had improved greatly.

Aversa fired a few more Goetia blasts, but each one was avoided, Aversa becoming angrier by the second.

Finally, Aversa seemed to be getting tired. Constantly summoning her powerful magic had left her drained. The speed of her attacks slowed and the spells became weaker. However, her anger resulted in an action Sumia had never anticipated when they were close to the ground, Aversa slightly above Sumia.

Aversa suddenly leaped off her mount, colliding with Sumia and dragging her to ground.

During the fall, Sumia lost her grip on her tome. In the end, she was laying on her back, Aversa on top of her as the white haired woman pressed her hand against Sumia's face. She felt the other woman begin to build up magic.

Aversa's face was twisted with anger, but it had changed into a smirk of contempt shortly after.

"What now, little girl?" Aversa spoke as the glow around her hand grew brighter.

Sumia didn't answer. Her hand was groping around for a moment until it locked around a familiar object.

Sumia let out a guttural shout as she drove the lance into Aversa's side. The other woman shrieked as she was forced off of Sumia, her magic dissipating from the surprise. Sumia quickly followed up her first jab with other, straight through the other woman's chest.

Aversa didn't seem to able to comprehend what had just happened. She looked down at the lance as blood began to seep through the wound. Her eyes followed the lance until she locked eyes with the woman holding it.

"I am not a little girl!" Sumia spoke with conviction as the light left Avera's eyes.

Letting out a breath she hadn't realised she was holding, Sumia pulled her lance from the dead woman's body. She felt her whole body tremble slightly at what she had just done. However, her experience as a solider allowed her to get over the view quickly.

She heard running feet behind her and turned to find Robin looking at her. He saw Aversa's body and the bloody lance in Sumia's hand and pieced together what had happened.

Sumia's Pegasus landed next to her rider and nuzzled her cheek, almost as if she understood as well.

The two of them mounted Sumia's Pegasus and flew back to the front of the battle, however, there was little they could do. The Grimleal had been decimated by the two armies, leaving quickly shrinking group of resistance.

In the end, they saw Morgan trigger an eruption of lava to shoot from the ground, shattering the group's defenses and leaving them vulnerable as the others pressed in. By the time Sumia had landed and she and Robin dismounted, the Grimleal were gone, crushed by the two armies combined might.

Chrom stepped to the front of his army. Everyone looked exhausted, but they knew the toughest battle was still to come. The Fell Dragon himself was expecting them.

"Everyone." Chrom began. "All of our struggles have brought us to this moment. We will take a short rest to recover our strength, and then, we will begin the final battle. Grima is powerful, but we will defeat him!"

The Shepherds cheered for their leader and even the Vincere Fati Army smiled at Chrom's declaration.

About an hour later, everyone had been healed and had rested to be ready to battle once more. Once everyone was prepared, Naga cast her spell, teleporting them onto the Fell Dragon's back.

Atop Grima

Robin though he knew what to expect, but this was far from it. Across the large surface of the Dragon's back, was his future self. The purple aura that glowed around him was constant now. He didn't look angry that they had made it this far. In fact he looked pleased to see them. He took a few steps forward, close enough for Robin to see the smirk on his face.

"So you've finally arrived." His voice reverberated oddly as he spoke.

Chrom stepped forward and held the Exalted Fachion to point at Grima's heart. "We will stop you, Grima! We will end this now!"

Grima looked amused. "You stop me?" He let out a laugh. "You won't even reach me." After he finished speaking, he held his hand towards the army, releasing a massive blast of magic.

As it struck him, Robin felt more pain then he thought possible. It was like being burned alive while being impaled by a thousand swords and stuck by bolts of Thoron, all at the same time. Robin fell to his knees. He didn't know someone could hurt this much and still live.

Grima smiled at the stricken army, the magic fading from his hand. He knew the spell wouldn't kill them, but he still needed them alive for a few more moments. His smile never leaving his face, he strolled over to the army, ignoring everyone till he stood in front of Robin, kneeling down to look the Grandmaster in the eye.

"So, Robin." He said. "Do you see now how pointless it all is? It can still be you, you know. Join with me and you can finally be free of these servants of Naga."

"Don't listen to him, Robin!" Chrom called from the front of the group, he was struggling to get to his feet.

Grima turned to glare at him. "This does not concern you, Ylissian scum!" His voice held a tone of genuine anger for the first time. He turned back to Robin, his expression changing back to a smirk. "Let's go somewhere to talk privately."

Before Robin could protest, his vision filled with black.

Chrom watched, horrified, as his friend was consumed by an orb of darkness, and vanished, Grima leaving with him.


	19. Chapter 19

The Void

Robin's vision returned quickly, but it was very hard to tell. It wasn't until he looked at his body and was able to see it that he realized that while his vison was no longer obscured, there was nothing but darkness in every direction. Slowly, Robin climbed to his feet, tottering slightly before correcting himself.

"Welcome, Robin." Came the voice of Grima. He had materialized in front of Robin, the smirk still on his face.

Robin took another look around before speaking. "Where am I?"

Grima's smile grew. "Where your god wishes you to be." The Fell Dragon took a few steps closer to him. "It's time for you to realize your role, Robin. You were born for this." Grima reached a hand towards Robin, who stepped back, terrified.

"Why would I join you?!" Robin was almost shouting, emotion strongly entering his voice.

Grima smirked again. "Really, Robin? Think about what the Servants of Naga did to you, abandoning you to the whims of fate. You could have been killed and none of them would have batted an eye."

Robin was about to retort, but the words died in his throat when he tried to speak. Despite his best efforts, his mind went back to the time before he left, remembering the surges of anger he felt every time he heard one of his 'comrades' talking behind his back. His fists clenched involuntarily.

Grima noticed Robin's reaction. "I see your anger. Wouldn't it be a wonderful feeling to tear them apart? To know that they paid the price for treating you in such a way?" His smirk grew as he stepped closer, this time, Robin didn't back away. He was too caught up in his own thoughts.

Robin's mind was rushing though events at a lightning pace. It started with Lucina drawing her sword and demanding his life, then began to shift to the following weeks, always having someone glaring into his back when they thought he wasn't looking, sometimes when they knew anyway. His teeth clenched so had when he remembered Frederick's demands during planning sessions that he was sure that they would crack.

Then, however, his mind began to replay the events after he left. He remembered the joy he felt when Sumia decided to join him, when he saw Donnel come charging out of his village asking to come with them. He remembered the camaraderie he always felt when he talked to Alex and Ruby. He remembered the shock he felt when he met his future children.

Finally, he remembered the look on Sumia's face when he gave her the ring and asked her to marry him. He remembered how he felt when she accepted.

Robin's gaze turned to Grima. This what he was born to become, the being that would destroy the world. And he wanted none of it.

This…thing….didn't just kill the Shepherds. It killed the woman he loved and caused incredible pain to millions of others. It was the manifestation of everything Robin despised.

And now, here it was, telling him to let it all happen again.

"No." Robin said, glaring Grima in the eye.

The Fell Dragon froze. His smirk disappeared quickly, replaced with a glare to match Robin's.

"What?" The voice was quieter than before, but the look in his eyes displayed disbelief and rage.

Robin took a step forward, pulling his new tome from his robe. "I won't join with you. You caused everything! Everything that happened was your fault!" Robin began channelling magic, firing his Thoron beam at the Fell Dragon's chest.

Grima was knocked back a step, his robes smoking. He gritted his teeth and his aura grew brighter. "Fine then. I will crush you along with those Ylissian vermin!"

The Fell Dragon swung his arm and the Robin's vision was filled with purple light. When the light faded, Robin was standing on the back of the Fell Dragon's form, his double reappearing on the far side, his glare never leaving him.

Chrom was relieved to see his friend's return. He forced his way to the grandmaster's side as a bright aura flickered around the armies.

"Rise, children of man." Came the voice of Naga. "Rise and face the Fell Dragon."

Chrom could feel energy flowing back into his limbs as the aura faded. He turned to Grima and raised his sword again.

This time, Grima's face displayed only anger. "Fine, Robin. You have your friends, and I have mine!"

Grima's aura flashed once more. More flashes followed, appearing around Grima and along the edges of the Dragon's back. After every flash, another group of Risen materialized.

Robin didn't seem to notice them. He just fired another Thoron from his hand, sending the beam towards Grima once more.

The Fell Dragon braced himself and endured the hit, his furious glare never leaving Robin. He stepped forward separating himself from his army. "Come then, Robin. Come see your choice is futile." The Dragon readied himself as his taunt left his lips.

Robin immediately charged his double, firing another Thoron as he went. This one was avoided and Grima responded in his own fashion. Behind him, the head of the Dragon turned, letting out a mighty roar before firing a gigantic orb of purple flame from it's maw.

Chrom and the others took this as the signal to charge. Chrom attempted to sprint towards Grima's human form and assist the grandmaster, only to be blocked by the Fell Dragon's army of Risen, who intercepted them and prevented them from interfering.

Grima fired another burst of flame at Robin, who dove to the side to avoid it, only to have to dive out of the way again to avoid another round of flame. Meanwhile, Grima's human form just watched with a smirk.

'_Time for a new approach.'_ Thought Robin as he dove to the side for the third time. Instead of anticipating the next strike, he rolled on landing and came up in a sprint, straight at Grima's human form, whose smirk vanished.

Drawing Exellion, Robin charged his double, who drew his silver sword in response. Robin brought the blade down as Grima parried. Robin was expecting a perfect block, however, he saw that Grima's grip on sword was slightly faulty for blocking and couldn't hold back the power of Robin's strike for long. This position also meant that he couldn't attack with his Dragon's fire without hitting himself.

Grima took a step back, holding Robin there, his grip shifting slightly. Robin smiled slightly. "Not used to needing your sword, are you?"

Grima smiled in return. "Who needs a sword when they can do this?"

Suddenly, a wave of darkness flew from Grima's feet, forming into piercing black spikes as it traveled towards Robin.

Surprised, Robin spun away, receiving only a grazing wound to his arm, but still enough to draw blood and cripple his left arm.

Gritting through the pain, Robin pulled his tome open once more and fired another round of Thoron, striking Grima in the chest once more. This time, the strike did visible damage, not just to the human form, but the giant body of the dragon they rode as well. A large section of scales was blasted off by some unseen force, carrying a group of Risen away with it.

Grima slowly recovered, his robes having a rather large hole in the right shoulder, revealing burned flesh underneath. However, before the Fell Dragon could respond, Robin had charged again, holding Exellion in his uninjured hand.

He swung at Grima's injured side, knowing he would have difficulty blocking and was correct. Exellion cut into the already damaged flesh, the Dragon's head above them screeching in pain.

Snarling, Grima spoke once more. "Enough of this! Just die!" as the Dragon's head prepared another another ball of fire.

However, Robin smirked and drew another tome, this one pure red in colour. As the Dragon opened its mouth to fire the blast, Robin shot a small, fast fireball down its gullet.

The effect that followed was not unlike throwing a lit match into a big pot of pitch.

The ball of fire that was being prepared exploded prematurely, still inside the Dragon's mouth.

Grima shrieked in both his forms as the explosion consumed the Dragon's head. Its human form dropped its weapon and collapsed to its knees, holding its head in both hands.

Behind them, the Risen collapsed, turning to purple smoke. Chrom immediately dashed towards Robin, who was advancing towards Grima, Exellion gripped tightly in both hands as he ignored the pain in his left arm.

Grima, for the first time since the beginning of his existence, felt true fear.

Robin stopped in front of the kneeling form as it looked up to meet his eye. When it spoke, it's voice was filled with pain.

"Why? Why would you die for them?" He said as Chrom drew close enough to hear.

Robin's gaze left the form before him and turned around, finding Sumia and his children as they began to advance towards him before turning back to Grima. "I'm not doing this for the Shepherds."

Confused, the Exalt glared at the form. "What are you talking about? Why would Robin die?"

Grima's expression changed from one of disbelief to one of contempt as he turned his head to look at Chrom. "He never told you, did he?" He let out a small laugh. "My heart and his are linked. Killing me would cause his own life to end."

Chrom was shocked. He turned to Robin to find he had already raised Exellion above his head, channelling his magic into the blade.

"It doesn't matter. As long as you die." Robin's voice was quite, almost regretful.

Chrom immediately charged towards Robin. "Robin, don't!" He yelled desperately.

But Chrom was too far away. By time he reached Robin, the grandmaster had already driven Exellion through the Fell Dragon's human body.

The entire Dragon they stood on convulsed with agony as Robin withdrew his sword. Grima collapsed, landing on his hands and knees as everyone else approached them.

Grima's eyes landed on Sumia, filled with hate as his body began to dissolve into purple smoke. "You!" His voice was beginning to distort. "You were his shield!"

With that final comment, Grima was gone.

Robin looked down at his own body, sighing when he noticed that it was vanishing, just as Grima's had done.

Chrom turned to him, his face devastated. He was about to speak, when Robin walked right passed him, into Sumia's waiting arms.

His children ran up to him, their faces showing their emotions.

Robin smiled at all of them. "Don't be sad. I will always love all of you, no matter what happens or where I go."

They all nodded, tears forming in their eyes as he left Sumia to embrace each of them.

"I have one last job for all of you, if you still want to follow my orders." His smile grew as they nodded, tears flowing faster. "Take care of your mother while I'm gone."

Nodding, Cynthia, Morgan and Marc turned away, letting their Father return to Sumia. He embraced her with all he had.

"I'm so sorry." Robin's voice was weak as he felt himself vanishing more quickly than before.

Sumia smiled and looked him in the eye. "Don't be." She said. "Like I told you before, I know you will return."

Their lips met one last time before Robin's form had vanished completely.

Only then did Sumia allow herself to cry.


	20. Letter to the Reader

Letter to Reader.

Hello. You might be wondering why this isn't an update to the latest chapter of Betrayal. That is because, Betrayal is officially complete! I was intending to include another Chapter before I uploaded Chapter 19, however, I have decided to take a different method to heart.

Don't think that I am done writing, however. I am merely taking a break from Robin and Sumia for a while. I have already come up with the idea of a sequel to it as well as the untold story of Alex and Ruby, the wandering mercs.

Please, keep reading, and enjoying yourselves.

Also, I have recently decided to make a quick change to my review policies. Everyone may have noticed that I removed the Guest reviews from Betrayal. This was not because they were negative and I am a massive baby who can't handle negative responses. I just find it easier to improve my writing when I can message the reviewer and ask how I could improve it if I don't quite understand their review. So please, if you are going to review, sign in.

This is Carreercrim331, looking forward to the next story.


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